Of Magic and Mayhem
by rupzydaisy
Summary: The Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry opens its doors to a worldly student body resulting in allies, duels and battle lines drawn over the Quidditch pitch. An AU series of fics with Hetalia characters crossed over into a Hogwarts setting. Pottertalia! Collab with Reapergal08's Of Hexes and Hijinks.
1. Mein Gott, No!

A/N 1:

This series of one shot episodes is a co-written piece. To get the full story list it is advised that you also add Reapergalo8 to your watch list. We will both be updating the finished chapters but they are mostly collaboration works; the person who uploads it is just the one who did most of the writing.

Information on the series:  
The initial idea was a single one shot but it quickly expanded to a larger series. There are many shorts planned, but when we run out of ideas we maybe be willing to accept more. These shorts are set over many years, with large intervals between them that join the characters at small episodes in their lives. We were originally going to do them in an order but they make sense without them. At the beginning of each chapter we will indicate the year each of the characters are in (just to aid explanation) but if anyone gets confused we have a list we can send for reference. The Hetalia characters are central to the story in their 'human' form, in other words they are not countries but the characters personalities set in an alternate universe. Namely in this case Harry Potter and Hogwarts. The cross-over nature lies in the cameos of the teachers at Hogwarts and the occasional mention of other characters, but they will not be central to the story.

Pairings:  
There is no set paring for the series. Some of the chapters will include slight paring (or what can be read as more than a simple friendship) but these will be indicated at the start of each chapter along with the characters ages/year.

Rating:  
Overall the story will have a rating of K. There will be a warning and a revised rating for some chapters but on the whole this probably will not occur. This series is mainly for fun and a play around with the characters- Hope you enjoy!

In this chapter:

Fifth years:  
Gilbert, a Slytherin Prefect.  
Francis, Slytherin.  
Ivan, Slytherin.  
Antonio, a Hufflepuff  
Elizabeta, a Gryffindor Prefect.  
Roderich, a Ravenclaw Prefect.

Fourth years:  
Ludwig, a Ravenclaw  
Feliciano, a Hufflepuff

Im Yong Soo is a third year.  
Professor Vargas is Rome and the head of Gryffindor.  
Germania is Viktor Beilschmidt and is the head of Slytherin.

Pairings: Slight Hungary/Gilbert/Roderich

* * *

Mein Gott! No!   
AKA: Vati's Bad Parenting Skills

Gilbert Beilschmidt stood in the middle of the empty stone corridor and cackled under his breath as he tapped the smooth metal surface with his knuckles. The resounding clang was like music to his ears and he could not help but smile widely at the realisation that the idea he had been forming for a good few weeks was finally coming to action.

"Not a bad idea at all," he decided with a curt nod as he tucked his wand into his trouser pocket securely.

He quickly removed his cloak and bundled it up into a ball to hide behind the nearby tapestry of some medieval witches and wizards who turned up their noses in distaste as he hid the object behind them. One of them shook a fist in his direction and Gilbert stuck out his tongue in response, hurrying back to the task at hand. The new prefect badge pinned onto the black material of the cloak caught his eye briefly as he unclasped the back of the suit of armour, glinting as if trying to remind him of his position.

When he had opened the letter informing him of his new position as prefect over the summer he had stood staring at the paper in shock for a long time. How could he, the awesome Gilbert, be chosen for such an important job. He was one of the main troublemakers in the school, damn he was the best; the letter had been the last thing he had expected to receive over the break. Even his brother had wondered if it was a mistake, but of course it wasn't.

He had done what he usually did with things that he didn't want to face: Gilbert ignored it. It had taken Elizabeta's sniping on the train carriage on the ride up for it to sink in. '_Maybe now you'll learn how to handle responsibility and grow up.'_ Gilbert had openly laughed at her on the train but somehow her words had stuck deep. A flash of guilt over his new master plan burned across his mind briefly; he had responsibilities now, didn't he?

Although, he thought, if he wasn't wearing the badge then his responsibilities didn't really count. Of course they couldn't. He shrugged and the allure of the shiny metal called him back to the plan at hand.

He was lucky he had skipped his boring Charms lesson, it took a good half an hour to put on his new outfit. When it was done all he had left to do was wait. He was positioned in the prime location, a quiet hallway between the library and the Ravenclaw Tower. In the distance a bell rang and the school surged with sound as students left their classrooms to go to their next lesson. Eventually a few students passed in groups chatting away as they made their way to the common room to enjoy their free period or to go do some left over work in the library. He stood impossibly still as they passed by, none of them noticed him lying in wait for his prey. He smirked, he was virtually invisible, his plan was going well.

Gilbert was just about to yawn with his awesome boredom and in annoyance at unpunctual targets when Roderich Edelstein finally rounded the corner, books in hand and wand tucked neatly away in his pocket. His own prefect badge shone, and Gilbert would've bet a bottle of Firewhiskey that the other boy polished it every evening before bed. What a prince.

Gilbert waited with bated breath as Roderich drew closer. His eyes had a faraway look to them and were not really on the corridor before him. This was going to be good.

When the other prefect was only a step or two away Gilbert slowly raised his hand to which had been strapped into a highly buffed gauntlet. It gave the most awesome of creaks, long and rusty.

Roderich cried out in alarm at the sight. He stumbled backwards, shifting his grip on his books so that they didn't fall to the floor. "What on earth!"

Gilbert stifled his laughter so he would not give away his identity and stepped forwards. The suit of armour he wore clanged together noisily. The metal components were burnished silver and the piece struck an imposing figure for the startled fifth year prefect who had been reduced to a confused and panicked boy. Even at Hogwarts it was unusual for suits of armour to get up and walk away by themselves without the aid of spells. They had heard of how the Headmistress had summoned the suits to defend the castle during the Great Battle, and that they had strode out, knights on metallic horses to charge at the army of Death Eaters.

Gilbert moved robotically to perfect the performance and turned about face, and then stretching out both arms, he reached for Roderich.

"Stop!" Roderich shrieked, and his legs skittered back in an undignified, almost spider like fashion. "Get back!" He clutched his books tighter to his chest while the suit of armour advanced on him, cornering him against the opposite wall with the smash of metal against stone. Red eyes glowed from behind the slits of the visor.

Gilbert grinned widely. From what he could see out of the visor, his target had been reduced to quivering mess. And his voice had definitely jumped an octave in pitch. Awesome. Gilbert moved onto phase two of his plan and growled, a deep, throaty, rumbling noise that echoed from inside the confines of the metal. He reached forward one hand, dangerously slow towards the other boys face, hoping the next reaction would be even better than the last.

Roderich shrieked like a girl and flailed for a moment before slipping against the wall and away from the animated suit of armour. White as a sheet he clutched his books and without looking back, fled under Gilbert's arm. The ends of his black woollen cloak billowed up and he disappeared around the far corner of the corridor, high tailing it back to the safety Ravenclaw Tower, squealing like a startled pig the whole way.

"Kesesesese!" Gilbert's carefully kept composure cracked and he collapsed onto the floor, cackling away. He beat his steel clad fist to the floor, and the sound echoed down the corridor. The three witches in the closest painting of a French court, finished powdering their noses and then escaped from the ruckus into a dappled green and brown forest which led onto the lush garden of majestic glass palace.

"His face! _Mein Gott_, I wish Francis and Antonio had skipped Charms to see this! Just to take a photograph of his face...kesesesese...the little prince!"

He clunked and clattered as the metal shifted while he rolled around on the ground, struggling to get air to his lungs. The noise of the knight's suit of armour masked the sounds of light footsteps walking towards him from the same direction Roderich had fled to, but as he rolled onto his other side to try and stop his sides from aching; he abruptly choked on his laughter. A highly polished, familiar left shoe tapped in line with his limited vision.

"Gilbert Beilschmidt." Elizabeta Héderváry snarled. The Gryffindor prefect did not seem amused, but then again she never did.

"Hello." He replied looking up to meet her expression. Her arms were crossed and her lips were drawn in a tight line old McGonagall would have been proud of. He knew it would be safer for him to keep his mouth shut but he cracked up again as the image of Roderich's frightened face appeared before his eyes.

"What did you do to Roderich?" Elizabeta's tone was one which he was all too familiar with, and her expression showed that she was not impressed. The prefect badge on her cloak lapel glinted under the torch lights, but her eyes flashed dangerously with anger.

In between sucking in air he managed to reply, "Nothing." His metal armour rattled noisily as he brought himself awkwardly to his feet, standing opposite her. He was taller and more gangly than her now, not that it made much difference. When she was angry she could tower over a mountain troll.

Elizabeta's scowl deepened, wrinkles carving into the sides of her mouth beside her downturned lips. "You're supposed to be a prefect, Gilbert. But you don't set any kind of example for the other students. Why you were given the badge is incomprehensible! What the Headmistress thinking, I don't know."

"I do set an example, Elizabeta." Gilbert retorted defensively, snapping up the visor so that he could see without obstruction. It did not make the scene much better but it allowed him to smirk at her. "I always set an _awesome _example."

"And was this one?" Her voice was loaded with sarcasm as she raised an eyebrow to question him.

"Technically," he moved his hands out in front of him with a metallic rattle. "I'm not wearing my badge at the moment, so it doesn't count."

"_You are_..." She was getting angry, and her hands clenched up into fists. "Gilbert!"

"Yes?" He replied calmly, turning his attention to admire the silver of the gauntlets he was wearing.

Suddenly Elizabeta paused and her frown melted away, leaving a scowl free face. Her whole frame relaxed and she rocked backwards on her feet, smoothing down her robes as though she had not been arguing fruitlessly.

"Gilbert?" She asked politely, the change in tone was stark and unnerving.

_Uh-oh..._

His full attention was immediately on her once more. She seemed calm, too calm, and he knew that there was a catch. It didn't work like this. Ever. And especially not with Elizabeta Héderváry. She was as proud and as ferocious as the animal that symbolised her house.

"Yes?" He asked tentatively.

"Do you like that suit?" She asked good naturedly, slipping on a small smile.

"I...yes?" He answered confused before grinning, snapping down the visor to complete his image. He held out his arms wide to show off a little, the straps and metal pieces creaking together like music. "It's awesome! Don't I look great?"

Elizabeta had her wand in her hand and before he could even ask what she was doing, and it was pointed at him. She murmured a spell under her breath, and a flash of blue hit him squarely on the breast plate. It rapidly spread across the metal armour, sinking into all the lines and crevices from his helmet to his sabatons. The armour, which had been getting pretty warm and uncomfortable anyway with how long he had been wearing it, suddenly seemed to double in weight. It was as if every crevice had been sealed shut like in a vacuum.

"Elizabeta...what have you done?" He stepped forwards, a lot slower than before with the added weight but she skipped backwards lightly.

"Nuh-uh, you like the armour, now you get to keep it. You can set a new awesome example now." She grinned cruelly and he felt his stomach flip.

"What?" He yelped. He attempted to move after he but she dodged away, grinning as inanely as he had only minutes ago.

"See you at dinner, Gilbert!" She sang cheerfully, waving brightly and then just walking away, leaving him to call after her with no avail.

"Elizabeta! Wait!" He pushed his chain mail covered fingers against the slits of the visor to lift it, and found that it was stuck. He clawed at it but it refused to budge. It was like it was sealed shut, but it couldn't be- could it? He tugged harder but it didn't even budge and his metal laced fingers merely screeched over the surface weakly. Realisation hit him like a high speed train. He was stuck.

"_Mein Gott_! NO!" He lost it and thrashed around in the corridor in a panic, slamming his shoulder into the wall before stumbling over his own metal foot to land with a loud crash on the floor. The portraits and tapestries lining the corridor stared on in amusement at the young student's entertaining display, one old nun lacking teeth laughing hysterically and the tapestry he had pulled a face at all jeering at him in unison.

"This is _not _awesome." Gilbert decided out loud as he lay sprawled on the floor, trapped uncomfortably inside the suit of armour.

oOo

There was a loud knock at the office door and Professor Beilschmidt looked up from the coursework he was marking. It was just before dinner and he had planned on getting all his marking done before settling down after the evening meal but this day had been full of one distraction after another. His light blue eyes stared at the doorway in irritation and he sighed, resting his quill on the desk before calling, "You may enter."

He faintly thought that if it was Roma bragging about some old battle again he would hex the other man on the spot. His stony patience was wearing thin. But he was more than surprised when after a pause the door was pushed open by a suit of armour, silver and clanking in the small wood lined room, and Viktor was shocked to find he had no mental or verbal response for the sight.

"_Vati_..." An echoey voice called pitifully from inside the suit as it clunked towards him.

Viktor stood up and leaned over the neatly organised desk, to find red eyes staring back at him from behind the visor. His tone was actually shocked when he spoke."Gilbert?"

"Can you get me out, _Vati_? Please?" His grandson replied walking closer towards the desk. The walk was the familiar one, and he even supposed a path had worn down the floor for the amount of times the boy had walked in due to some disaster or trouble he had wrecked on the castle and its inhabitants. Although this particular occurrence was topping the mental list his grandfather had made in his head.

"How did you get in _there_?" Viktor asked incredulously, studying the silver metal and the neat fit it had provided for his eldest grandson.

Gilbert paused for a moment, debating on what to divulge and what would get him detention. "It looked awesome!"

Professor Beilschmidt sighed, knowing that that was not the reason, but feeling wary about asking for the truth. He often wondered if the boy had been dropped on his head on birth, Ludwig was most definitely not like this. Why did Gilbert always give him so much trouble? "Gilbert, you're supposed to be a prefect. I don't believe that even a first year would try this, what on earth were you thinking?"

His grandson remained silent, and the Head of Slytherin sighed heavily. "It's dinner time, Gilbert. You should be down at the Great Hall now."

"But _Vati_! I'm stuck inside this! Can you please fix it!" He protested, arms clanking as he raised and dropped them.

"_Ja_. After dinner." Viktor decided.

Behind the slits in the visor, red eyes were wide with disbelief. "But Va-"

"After dinner, Gilbert. You will learn your lesson: to not climb into suits of armour." He dismissed him with a wave of his hand.

"_Vati_..." Gilbert pleaded, hopping around to the best of his abilities in the suit. The metal banged loudly on the floor and Viktor winced, feeling the beginning of a headache arising. "This is _not_ awesome, I need to pee."

"Come back after dinner. Off you go." His tone was impassive and Gilbert pouted through the visor, his reddish eyes tearful as he realised there was not much point in trying to argue.

Gilbert turned around with clinks of metal and plodded, with some difficulty, out of the door. "Yes _Vati_." He called morosely as Viktor pointed his wand at the door to shut it after his grandson exited.

However, it was flung open only moments later. The doorframe rattled with the enthusiasm of the new visitor.

"Hey Viktor, I just'a saw your grandson. He's all dressed up in a knight's armour!" The main source of irritation in his life, Roma Vargas said, pointing down the corridor with a huge grin, obviously highly amused at the sight he had seen.

"Roma, I need to finish off marking these pieces of coursework." Viktor replied patiently, staring pointedly down at the first essay waiting to be marked; the neatly written script belied it to be Kiku Honda's work. He kept his eyes downturned hoping the other professor would take the hint. He didn't.

Roma peered down at the stacks of paper and the piles of books and chuckled. With a shake of his head and a pat on the other professor's back he said, "You can mark them later, it's'a dinner time now and I know that the house elves made pasta tonight."

Viktor blinked, resisting the urge to strangle Roma with his bare hands. "Fine."

Professor Vargas grinned as his colleague stood, adjusted his cloak and then promptly slung an arm around his shoulder as Viktor stepped away from his desk. "You know, if your grandson had'a dressed up like'a Roman soldier, then he'd have all the prettiest witches chasing after him. A knight, not so much'a. Still, he'll turn people's heads when he walks into the Great Hall."

oOo

And Gilbert did just that.

He clunked up the stone steps and clattered through the crowds making their way through the double doors; everyone's eyes were on him as he made the slow and agonisingly embarrassing walk down between the tables. People stopped to stare as he passed and what felt like the whole room turned to look in his direction. A general hush fell over the room, broken only by the painful clang of his armour. He wished he could have legged it to the table but his movement was restricted, if he tried to go too fast he would have fallen onto his face like an idiot and made even more of a fool of himself. At least like this no one could see who he was.

Gilbert noticed the sole yellow trim of Antonio's robes and made his way towards the area where his friends were sat. The Hufflepuff boy, at first, had been seen as an oddity in the fact he willingly sat with his two Slytherin friends at mealtimes. However, he had slowly been accepted by the House as a constant and presence at meal times, along with his broad and friendly smiles.

He approached the Slytherin table and with a series of rattles he attempted to sit down quietly where there was a large enough gap to fit the bulk of the armour. He had never heard the room so silent as he creaked up to a sitting position. Gradually, like someone turned up the volume, the voices returned, growing from chuckled whispers to all out laughs and then back to conversation as the shock wore off. Gilbert sat and burned in shame.

"Gilbert, is that you?" Francis asked curiously, looking at the knight's armour sitting opposite him. He attempted to look through the slits of the visor and found familiar red eyes looking back.

"Yeah. How awesome is my costume?" Gilbert asked boisterously, making the best of the bad situation.

"Why are you dressed up like a knight?" Ivan wondered pleasantly, from a few seats down.

"Because. It's. _Awesome_!" Gilbert replied enthusiastically, emphasising his opinion so it did not seem like there was a problem. Just eccentric Gilbert being eccentric, nothing to see here. He glanced over to the Ravenclaw table where Elizabeta had left at the Gryffindor table to speak to Roderich.

"Damn her," he muttered under his breath. He glowered behind his helmet as Roderich turned to look at him, and then both prefects began to laugh, along with the people sitting next to them who had undoubtedly been told of his failed awesome plan. Damn, damn, _damn_.

_Why didn't Vati let me out? _He lamented. However, he quickly forgot for a moment as his attention was drawn to the hot steak pies and chunky chips which began to appear on the serving dishes before them. Thank _Gott_; food always made him feel better.

"Oh look, there are some sausages!" Antonio pointed out, seemingly unfazed by the new development in his friend's life and reached past Gilbert to pile the meat up on his plate.

"Great!" Gilbert grinned, and attacked the serving dishes. His mood was quickly improving with the promise of a good meal and he loaded his plate up.

Ivan smiled. "Pass me some please."

"Sure thing Ivan." Gilbert hurriedly offered the plate to his fellow sixth year then took some himself. His plate was full of food and he happily stabbed his fork into a sausage, but paused half way to his mouth and groaned loudly. "_No_. This can't be happening."

"What's wrong, _mon ami?"_ Francis wondered as he reached for his pumpkin juice.

Gilbert scowled and his fork hit his plate with a clatter. "I can't eat dinner. This is ridiculous. I hate _her_." He would have thrown his head backwards but his movement was constricted by the knight's armour.

"What do you mean?" Ivan queried, intrigued to hear about Gilbert's antics. They were always entertaining stories.

Gilbert glared at the group of second and third years sitting across the table until they turned away and dropped his voice down to a whisper. "I was in the corridor, dressed in this suit and I jumped out to scare that prissy Edelstein. And it worked, oh man, you should've seen his face." Then he snorted at the memory, "But then Elizabeta came, and she hexed me, and now I'm stuck inside this metal suit." He dropped his arms onto the wooden table with a dull thud.

Ivan chuckled cheerily. "That is a funny story."

"Funny for you, maybe." Gilbert retorted.

"You cannot get the helmet off to eat? At all?" Francis wondered, his tone concerned but the impact was overwhelmed by the teasing that they could see plainly in his blue eyes.

Apparently everyone found his catastrophe humorous. Great.

"I can't even lift up the visor." Gilbert pushed his plate away from him with one hand while the other clawed hopelessly at the bottom of the visor. "And the cutlery won't fit into the gaps. _Mein Gott_, I'm so hungry! I missed lunch because I was doing my Potions essay, then I had to prepare my plan so I couldn't stop for a snack."

"Or your Charms lesson either." Francis scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Where's your wand?"

"In my trouser pocket." Francis sniggered and Gilbert frowned back.

"It's not funny!"

"There's soup!" Im Yong Soo piped up, from within the gaggle of younger students Gilbert had previously glared at. The loud boy grinned widely at him, the ringleader of the third years who were giggling and nudging each other over the hilarity that was the Slytherin prefect in the metal suit; a loud, rattling snake whose cunning had failed him.

"What?" Gilbert turned to face the annoying boy. "Oi, you little pip squeak. I'm a prefect, and I can tell you it's not awesome to eavesdrop! Mind your own business!"

"But the little brat has a good point. You can drink soup." Francis pointed out the deep red tomato soup that let of little wisps of steam further down the table.

"I don't like soup though." He whined in reply, looking like a newly turned teen himself. "I wanted sausages." It was not his day today. In fact, the one thing which had supposed to have been good, ended up as the event to lead to everything else turning horribly wrong.

"What else would you eat, if not soup?" Francis asked bluntly.

"With what then?" Gilbert retorted, his voice echoing comically in the helmet.

"Here." Francis sighed and pulled out his wand, he tapped the spoon lying by Gilbert's right hand and transfigured it into a plastic straw for him. He stared at it for a moment, and then picked it up as Im pushed over a bowl of hot tomato soup.

"This better work." He told the third year in his most menacing voice as he pushed the straw through the slits in the visor and then bent down. "Ah, it's hot!" he exclaimed and jerked backwards, only to hear laughs from a distinct section of the Ravenclaw table.

Gilbert glanced up to see both Elizabeta and Roderich both rolling around on the bench laughing at his misfortune. They had been watching him ever since he had stumbled into the Great Hall, dinner forgotten before them for something much more entertaining.

His red eyes narrowed to slits and he huffed in annoyance but continued to sip his soup. "It's _burning_ me." He whined quietly to his friends, but he couldn't stop eating it or else the laughs from the Ravenclaw table would be in danger of starting up again. He swore on the silver of a Veela's hair, he would get them back for this.

He made it halfway through the bowl of soup before he heard someone call his name. "Gilbert."

He paused from drinking the soup, looked up to see who was there and found it was the two people he really didn't want to see.

"Go away, Edelstein." Gilbert replied before slurping the soup louder so that he could finish the bowl quicker. He didn't even bother to acknowledge the one who had trapped him in a metal suit.

Elizabeta didn't bother to greet him either, and only laughed. "We brought you your cloak. You left it in the corridor, shoved behind the tapestry. The people in it had a few choice words to say about you, I'll tell you that."

Roderich placed the neatly folded up cloak onto the table next to the boy dressed as a knight.

"Try acting like a prefect, Gilbert. It's the reason why you were given the badge after all. It does not give you license to act like a moron." His voice was the epitome of high class and a bloodline that stretched back as far as the founders of Hogwarts. If the teachers table hadn't have been half full with all of their eyes trained on them Gilbert would have punched that prissy mouth.

"Hmmph," the Slytherin replied instead, still refusing to looking at them. In front of his Francis and the others watched the conversation with interest.

"That's not polite. You should say thank you." Elizabeta argued.

"Yeah, thanks." Gilbert attempted to shrug his shoulders and it resulted in metal plates scratching more metal.

"Do you like the suit?" Roderich asked, smiling down smugly.

"I liked your terrified face better." Gilbert raised his hands in mock fright and flailed them around in the air haphazardly, a perfect performance of the other boy prior reaction. It caused Roderich to turn bright red in embarrassment, his bottom lip curling up in frustration as Gilbert's friends laughed loudly.

Even in his predicament Gilbert couldn't help but laugh, Gilbert 1- Edelstein 0.

"Fine then, Gilbert, enjoy the rest of your _soup_." Elizabeta huffed. She grabbed Roderich's arm and steered him away from the table towards the double doors.

"Yeah, I will. I love soup! And I love my suit of awesome!" He shouted back as loud as he could, causing several people to jump in their seats and turn to stare at him.

"Do you?" A measured voice behind him asked. Gilbert shifted so that he could turn around and found his grandfather standing behind him.

"I thought you needed help to get out?" The professor looked down with a bored expression, but behind it his grandson thought he could see some flickers of exasperation and maybe even amusement. He could never tell with the older man.

Gilbert's voice was all desperation as he flung his hand up in a prayer like stance. "_Vati!_ Please get me out of this suit!"

Viktor sighed and nodded. "Very well. Come along to my office." He set off towards the entrance to the Great Hall.

"Yes!" Gilbert exclaimed, air punching in relief and then set about trying to extract himself from the bench. "Uh, _Vati, warten! Bitte_!" He flailed as he swung one leg over the side of the bench. "Ah, Francis, lend me a hand won't you?"

"_Oui_." Francis pushed Gilbert as he swung his other leg over the side of the bench causing him to topple over and crumple in on himself with a crash of metal. Antonio winced as Ivan chuckled beside him.

"That, is not helping." Gilbert told his blond friend breathlessly from the floor, his chest crushed under the weight of the amour.

Francis shrugged his shoulders, as Antonio leaned down to drag Gilbert up to a standing position. "You needed to get out. Hurry now, or your grandfather may change his mind."

He was right. Gilbert rushed off as fast as he could, running rigidly in the suit of armour. The entire hall fell silent once more, and those seated at the teacher's table at the far end of the hall shook their heads with mirth and annoyance at the nature of the disruption with Roma Vargas' laugh ringing out the loudest in the Hall.

As he rushed past the Ravenclaw table, he failed to notice his younger brother cringing away from the sight and being patted on the shoulder comfortingly by Feliciano who had drifted over from the Hufflepuff table sometime around the first course, as per usual to sit with him and Kiku.

"Ah, Ludwig! Gilbert looks funny when he's running." The younger boy laughed.

"I don't even want to know." Ludwig replied stoically and turned his attention back to his dinner, hoping that one day his brother would not be such an embarrassment.

* * *

A/N 2: The next chapter will be published by Reapergal08 on her account, sometime next week, under the story title Of Magic and Mayhem (part 2). I'd advise that you follow that one too so you don't miss out on any of this series! :)


	2. Tessomancy is like, so cool

Toris/Lithuania – Gryffindor  
Feliks/Poland – Hufflepuff  
Sadik/Turkey – Slytherin  
Heracles/ Greece- Hufflepuff  
They are all in their third year

* * *

Tessomancy is like, so cool

The classroom was more like a teashop than a place of learning with its overstuffed fabric armchairs and heavy red silk curtains that were drawn across the small windows. They made the room seem a lot more enclosed than it actually was, coupled with a fog of strong smelling incense which poured out of the corners, nooks and crannies, filling the whole area with its haze. The two third years, seated on rather large and worn pouffes around a chintz table, stared at the widely assumed to be batty Divination teacher who breezed from one side of the round room to the other. In a room of clutter and mismatched furniture she looked like some proprietor of an odd back street shop, the glittering and gaudy shawls seemingly magnetised to her body.

"Now then class, drink up." Professor Trelawney instructed in a soft voice waving her hands in encouragement and the assortment of bangles jangled loudly, clinking together as she drifted around the room. "And observe the tea leaves."

Through the heat and incense that burned through the room her image shimmered before each table as she passed, large owl eyes beadily checking that they were all working diligently. Most of the students looked confused and self conscious as they fumbled with the tea sets laid out before them. Sadik Adnan swore loudly from the back of the room as the hot liquid splashed onto his knee and the professor rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically.

"Look deep and do your best to See, however, I shall not hold much hope. You are all third years with young, terribly inexperienced eyes. It takes natural talent to See, and that in itself can be as fleeting as a wil-o-the-wisp." Her words ended wistfully and she wrung her hands together with a pout on her face as she glided back to her desk.

"Or a Bogtroll." Someone from the far corner of the classroom spoke in a loud whisper.

"She's, like, extremely glitzy isn't she?" Feliks whispered under his breath as his friend Toris reached for the china blue teapot dubiously. The brunette refrained from answering and shook his head with a small sigh as he readied the tea, careful to not make the same mistake as the Slytherin behind them and poured it down himself.

The two of them has been friends ever since Feliks entered the train carriage whilst it stood waiting on the platform of Kings Cross, two years ago. Toris had been eyeing the crowds outside as he searched for his parents hidden behind the steam from the engine when the door had burst open to reveal the other boy. He had been slightly intimidated by the other boy who had happily dragged in his suitcases and plonked himself down opposite before asking him with a flick of blond hair: "Mind if I sit here? No, like, of course you don't. Us first years have to stick together; it wouldn't be cool if we didn't know anyone."

He gave a little wave, unsure of what to say he began with the basics; sure that was how conversations were meant to start. "Um, hello. I'm Toris."

"What do you think of our robes? I didn't know when we were going to have time to change, so I decided to put them on from home." He straightened out the black material, critically searching for creases, and then smiled broadly at his companion's startled expression. "I didn't think they were chic at all, but they're kinda growing on me. Black is certainly the in colour at the moment."

Toris' watery blue eyes widened in confusion as a well manicured hand was thrust into his face.

"Feliks." The blond chirped brightly with a winning grin and Toris had no choice but to take the others hand and shake it.

He had found out very early on that his new friend was quite the talker, he carried the conversation as the train chugged onwards, leaving London behind for the long trip northwards. By the time they had crossed the Scottish border, the blond was waiting on Toris' replies, and as the shiny red train pulled into Hogsmeade, Toris was surprised to find he actually enjoyed the time spent in conversation. Feliks had a way of talking non-stop that still found a way to include him; he decided that whatever happened at sorting he would find this boy again and they would become good friends. And later in the evening, when one had been sorted into Hufflepuff and the other in Gryffindor, they had parted at the Grand Staircase with the promise of catching up at the weekend and had done so every week up until their third year. Finding out that they would be in the same Divination class brought some comfort to Toris, at least he wouldn't be completely bored when they were being taught to gaze deeper into the murky glass of crystal balls.

"How are we supposed to _See?_" Toris wondered aloud in, pouring out the boiling water and stirring the tea leaves so that the liquid darkened as per the batty teacher's instructions. The white steam curled up into the air, adding to the haziness of the room. Looking into the liquids soggy depths he couldn't help but feel this was a push, even for magic. How on earth were you meant to see the future in a pile of wet leaves?

Feliks, on the other hand, was having a ball.

"By, like, using the book." Feliks grinned, opening it and flicking through the pages. Each chapter was devoted to a section on Divination. The images that he flipped through showed intricately patterned glass balls, dream interpretations and detailed drawings of terrifying night demons and shadows which had been Seen by the greatest Seers in the history of Divination.

"Gosh!" The blond exclaimed and his friend sighed internally. Feliks had been slightly thrilled to find Divination on the first lesson of his third year timetable, a lot more than Toris had been, having originally chosen Care of Magical Creatures. "...Some of this stuff isn't cool at all, I mean look at that ferocious looking dog."

He leaned over to see the picture Feliks tapped with his finger. A pencil drawing of a hulking dog with snarling jaws and dark eyes had been carefully shaded in.

"'The Grim'," he read out. "I've heard about that in some children stories. Most adults used to believe in them too. Pretty bad omen I think."

"It's, like, something you totally wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley, right?" Feliks raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow seriously.

"It's supposed to be the omen of death." Toris added, nodding back. He didn't add that he did not believe in that rubbish. He was a half blood but both of his parents had taught him to be rational. This superstitious nonsense was not _proper_ magic.

Feliks wrinkled his nose at the thought of the Grim. "Sounds all doom and gloom to me. Oh look, there's some way more happier stuff in this chapter." Feliks continued to read snippets aloud as the tea cooled to a more drinkable temperature while Toris slumped further down in his purple armchair, attempting his best not to fall asleep in the stifling atmosphere of the classroom.

He was nudged back into alertness as Feliks pushed forwards his empty teacup and he was forced to drink his own slowly. The blond was still chattering away. "Toris, I think this class is going to be kinda interesting you know. I mean, this tessomancy stuff sounds pretty cool!"

"I suppose. I don't really think that there's much to it though." Toris whispered back, making sure that Professor Trawleney didn't hear. He doubted she would appreciate him calling her art pointless. He drank his tea quickly, leaving the dark dregs and tea leaves at the bottom. He chapped his lips at the bitter taste and held it out for his friend to take.

"And look at the Professor, she's like totally a Seer, isn't she? And her clothes are all shiny, just look at all those beads...You've finished the tea? I've finished too, here I'll read yours!" Feliks was getting more and more excited as the lesson progressed, most likely thrilled over the fact they were able to try out some fortune telling in their very first class.

He used his left hand to pick up Toris' cup, swirled it three times and tipped it over to let the remaining liquid drain out. After waiting for a few moments he lifted up it up to examine it.

He frowned, and hummed and then tipped it back towards him. "What do you think it looks like?" He asked, putting on a serious tone as he considered what the tea leaves held in store for his best friend.

"I'm not sure; all I see are tea leaves." Toris glanced around the rest of the class, and most of the expressions on the other students faces were either of boredom or sheer confusion. Heracles Karpusi was even asleep at the back of the class and snoring lightly, but then again that was nothing new.

Feliks hummed again and then began to turn the pages of the textbook they shared. "I think, it looks like a clover. A four leaf clover. Can you see it too?"

Toris looked up from his own cup to have another look. Not that it made much of a difference, he couldn't see anything.

"I think so." He replied, squinting and leaning backwards a little. If he let his eyes lose their focus, he could count four leaves, and it seemed enough to pass. He doubted it would matter much anyway.

"Yeah, it is!" Feliks grinned and then flipped the pages back. "See here, it says that a four leaf clover means good luck for all the hard work you've done," he read out and then laughed happily.

"That's so cool; you've like done tons of work in the two years we've been here. Maybe it'll all pay off soon?"

Toris gave a shrug.

"I guess it could be a lot worse." He smiled back at his friend's enthusiasm.

"So, go on then, what does mine say?" Feliks asked impatiently, leaning forwards over the table to see into his drained cup, the dregs leaving behind a pattern to be interpreted.

Toris blinked and looked down at the tea cup, twisting it around and then back again in the hope that he could see something in the watery tea leaves. Nothing... damn. He threw a stab into the dark. "Errrr, I think, maybe it's a house?"

"Where? Let me see!" Feliks leaned forwards in his pink armchair and Toris showed him the shape which seemed to resemble what could have been a house, or just a blob of tea leaves clumped together. "Oh, yeah, I think I see it too. Nice job! So, like, what does a house mean then?"

"I'll find out." Toris thumbed through the pages of the textbook and then tapped a heading. "A house means comfort and home."

"That sounds good. No, like, bad for our first goes." Feliks smiled again and they watched as the Professor concluded the class with two new predictions.

"I believe that you, Mr Adnan, should beware of a battle to be lost. And my advice to the rest of the class is to avoid all heated objects for the next three hours." Her eyes widened even bigger than anyone could imagine behind the thick lenses of her glasses, giving her a comical, rather than severe expression.

"We've got Potions next, Professor." Sadik replied bluntly as he gathered up his books to the sounds of the other students laughing under their breath. However, the Slytherin boy seemed to be in deep thought as he left the classroom, his eyes narrowed as he took in her warning, no doubt thinking of a certain Hufflepuff walking languidly ahead of him that he was planning on hexing.

"Terrible, terrible." Professor Trawleney muttered under her breath as she shifted her purple shawl around her shoulders. She drifted back over to her desk and stared deeply into the cloudy glass ball in a painting hung beside it. The mist swirled round inside and she smiled a little dreamily.

"It was like, a brilliant lesson Professor." Feliks called out as he moved to join the rest of the class who were all desperate to leave the room to breathe fresh air once more. Some blinked as the clean air brushed over them as they hurried down the trapdoor in a daze, and then shook their heads as they reminded themselves they had another whole year of the stuffy classroom.

The professor considered him kindly, "Ah, Mr Łukasiewicz, did you See?"

"Yes, he did Professor. I'm going to have good luck." Toris answered, looking back towards the exit wistfully. It would take a long time for him to get down the tower stairs and to his next lesson, he didn't want to be late and he was already feeling sleepy from the heat of the room. So much for good luck.

The professor clapped her hands with some glee. Her rings clacked together while the metal bangles on her wrists jangled noisily. Toris found it tricky to imagine the woman sitting opposite the previous Headmaster Dumbledore in a job interview.

_She must have Seen something important. _He thought as he hoisting his book bag onto his shoulder.

"And what exactly did you see in the leaves?" Trawleney asked Feliks. Her big, round eyes blinking at him expectantly behind her large glasses.

Feliks quickly went back to the table they had been seated at, collected Toris' tea cup and brought it back to show her. "A four leaf clover, Professor. It was like, cool." Feliks said happily, seemingly the only student who was thrilled to be returning to the stuffy classroom.

"Hmmmm," the Professor said, considering the third year before looking down into teacup at the image the soggy tea leaves had clumped together as. With a hum she said, "Perhaps someone in this class does have the sight after all."

"Really?" Feliks asked, his smile growing wider than before.

She adjusted her glasses and then stared at the crystal balls aligned on the shelves behind the two boys. "Good day, boys. And don't forget to stay away from heated objects." She waved them away as she walked forwards to the first shelf.

"Yes, Professor." Toris replied politely as the two remaining students left the odd teacher in her classroom and hurried down the steps to their next class.


	3. Of Staring Ravenclaws

A/N: Sorry for the long wait! Thank you for the reviews and favourites. Hope you enjoy this next instalment, and thanks to Reapergal08 for checking through this and correcting my strange strange thought patterns! Remember to look on her profile for the other half of this Pottertalia series! :D

Ravenclaws:  
Tino/Finland- a first year  
Kiku/Japan- a first year  
Berwald/Sweden- a second year  
Ludwig/Germany- a first year  
Arthur/England – a second year  
Roderich/Austria – a second year  
Lien/Vietnam- a third year  
Mei/Taiwan – a second year

Hufflepuffs:  
Feliciano/North Italy- a first year  
Lovino/South Italy- a first year  
Matthew/Canada- a first year

Gryffindors:  
Matthias/Denmark- a second year  
Lukas/Norway – a second year  
Alfred/America – a first year

Slytherins:  
Francis/France – a second year  
Yao/China – a third year

Head of Gryffindor- Roma Vargas/Rome  
Head of Slytherin-Viktor Beilschmidt/Germania

* * *

Of Scary Ravenclaws

The library was filled with the hushed sounds of learning as the students of Hogwarts progressed through their set homework in unison. Like a collective sigh the turning of pages and the scratch of quills on parchment echoed around the lofty, book-filled chamber. At his table, Tino dipped his quill in his ink pot and continued to copy notes from the Charms textbook. _This should be finished by lunchtime, and then I __can read after dinner!_ He smiled at the thought of a free evening full of non educational reading and continued to scribble out the notes on wand movement he would need for his next Charms lesson.

"Kiku, have you finished with that book?" He queried in a hushed tone as Madame Prince walked past, wand aloft and a stack of books bobbing in the in front of her as she took them back to their respective shelves, her lips turning up in disgust at the slight noise his voice made in the quietness of the room. Kiku, his classmate, watched with dark eyes until the librarian had passed before responding.

"No, I'm afraid I haven't. There might be another copy on the shelf though." He replied with an apologetic tone.

"That's fine. I'll go have a look." Tino stood; piled up the books he was finished with and picked them up. "And I'll put these away too."

He reached over for his friend's discarded books piled neatly at the edge of the desk. He might as well carry the lot while he was at it, no need for the other boy to get up.

Kiku smiled back before returning to his work. "Thank you."

Tino wandered away from their work table, around the back of the nearest shelf and put away Kiku's books. A quick glance at the shelf told him the book he was after though was not there, and it was nowhere in plain sight either. From experience Tino knew that the books were often misplaced and could be anywhere on the isle from other students putting them away in the wrong places. He sighed at the prospect of the search and walked further down the bookshelf eyes open for the one he was after. He searched around for it and was surprised when he spotted the tatty red and green striped binding on the top most shelf, far out of reach for his short stature.

"Well, this could be a problem." Tino commented as he looked around the passage way for some sort of step ladder or stool to stand on.

Then he saw a uniform from the corner of his eyes, trimmed with blue, and let out a sigh of relief. Another Ravenclaw, a tall boy with blond hair, was walking past the row and Tino called out quickly to make him stop. "Um, excuse me; do you think you could help out another Ravenclaw? I've-"

He paused as the other boy stopped and turned around to face him. He was very tall upon a second look, and he struck an imposing figure in the midst of the candle lit high shelves. Bright blue eyes bore into him from behind the other boy's thin wire glasses and Tino's words seemed to lodge in his throat for a second.

"-I've, um...I can't reach it." He managed to tack on in a quiet voice, hoping that he would understand.

_Wow, he's huge and scary. Hopefully he won't say anything mean, or worse, curse me! Oh no, he is scary!_

"Okay." The other boy replied simply and strode over to stand beside Tino, towering over him head and shoulders. He looked down expectantly and Tino flinched. "Which one?"

Tino froze for a moment, like a deer before oncoming headlights.

"Which one? Oh, that one!" He snapped his arm out and pointed towards the top shelf. The other boy stretched out for the book and passed it over. It was pretty anticlimactic; there were no curses or shouts, only the other boys silent staring which was unnerving to say the least. He hadn't even blinked. Tino gulped.

"Thank you!" Tino squeaked, his hands clutched at the book as he tried to avoid the blue eyes which stared down at him unrelentingly.

The other boy finally blinked in reply.

"Yes, thank you." The smaller boy tried again, digging down deep for the courage to speak but his voice shook. "My name's Tino. I'm in Ravenclaw too; see we both have blue uniforms, and the Ravenclaw badge. And I think I've seen you before in the common room, but I don't really know who you are because you're not in my year, and I've only been here for a few weeks." He began to ramble on as one sentence merged after another. Grasping for straws to get him out of the awkward situation. "So what's your name then?"

"Berwald." The blond boy replied, "I'm not in your year, I'm in my second."

"Oh, well, nice to meet you Berwald." Tino paused and drew in a shaky breath while Berwald looked down at him expectantly. For a boy who was twelve years old, he was a lot taller than the average Hogwarts student. And terrifying up close. Tino could stand it no longer.

"I'm going to and finish off my work! Thanks again! See you, bye!" He told Berwald hastily before hurrying back around the bookshelf and stumbling to his table.

As he walked away, he breathed out sharply and with some relief. Normally he was fine with speaking to people, however Berwald didn't seem to be much like most people; the intimidating blue stare was a major factor in this.

"Bye." Berwald replied as Tino disappeared around the corner to go sit with the rest of his first year friends.

oOo

The sounds of a whole school at dinner filled the Great Hall. There was laughter, shouting and the undertones of a hundred different conversations going on around them. Clinks of cutlery, the munching of food and goblets being replaced with clunks onto the wooden tables. Tino took his seat and tried to shake off the strange feeling that he was being watched, blaming it on the fact that the castle was full of ghosts. Those were something he hadn't been prepared for, the castle being the place of residence to so many transparent apparitions who felt the need to slide in and out of the walls, scaring the new first years with barely restrained glee.

So instead, Tino took in the sounds and his seat. A few people down the table, Ludwig's slightly raised and strained voice in trying to get Feliciano back to his own table could be heard over the sound of the rest of the hall.

"Feliciano, it is against the rules to sit at another house table. Please join your own housemates." The blond boy spoke sternly. To any person listening in, it might have sounded like an order, however to Feliciano it registered as barely as a passing suggestion.

"But Ludwig, I'd like to sit with you and Kiku." The cheery boy replied with a smile, which made Ludwig shake his head in despair. Out of the two Beilschmidt brothers he was the one who had inherited his grandfather's stoic personality; this image was mirrored up on the teacher's table with the Head of Gryffindor nudging the Head of Slytherin and adding more food onto the other's plate much to the blond haired man's displeasure.

"What about your other friends? Your brother?" Ludwig asked, looking back at the Hufflepuff table.

"They don't mind. I'd like to be friends with everyone! And Lovi is okay with that too!" Feliciano declared with a winning smile. A quick glance over to the Hufflepuff table showed quite the opposite as a Lovino Vargas watched the exchange with a red face and a scowl, his hands holding onto his cutlery as if he wished it was his brother's throat.

Tino's head snapped up when he heard a deep laugh erupt from the staff table. Professor Vargas had heard his grandson's loud words and had found it amusing, alerting Ludwig to the fact that they were both attracting a lot of attention. He relented red faced, as it had become second nature over the last few weeks. There was no use arguing with the cheerful boy.

"Ok. Fine. Take a seat Feliciano." He invited, and shuffled over a little to make some room. Feliciano dropped down to sit between him and Kiku, launching straight into a conversation about his day out to Hogsmeade with his grandfather and how they had visited the sweet shop and that he had tried sugared butterfly wings, after a few long minutes of trying to catch them.

"Ludwig, when we're in our third year, we can all go and visit." Feliciano said, looking around the table at the other first years.

"Ja. That's a good idea." He nodded back patiently.

The brown haired boy continued to babble on excitedly, "And there were so many sweets, sugar quills too! I wanted one for lessons but Nonno said I'd get too full and want a nap like I usually do when I've eaten-"

"They sound good." Kiku commented as Feliciano turned to face him, showing him the size of the gobstoppers that were magically charmed not to shrink that he pulled out of his pocket with glee.

"You should take some food, or else it'll disappear." Ludwig prompted, just before the Hufflepuff was readying himself to launch into a new story.

"Yes!" Feliciano nodded and he stretched to reach a plate of Yorkshire puddings that were in front of Tino. Feliciano finally noticed the other boy and gave a little wave. "Tino! How are you? We're talking about Hogsmeade, have you ever been?"

Tino smiled back, pushing the plate into Feliciano's reach. "No, I haven't, but it's supposed to be brilliant."

"It is!" Feliciano agreed, loading up his plate with food that Ludwig passed over helpfully. "If Grandpa lets me go with him another time, I'll bring back sweets for everyone."

Tino smiled at Feliciano's friendliness and continued to eat, letting the other conversations wash over him. _I __can finish off my Charms homework tomorrow, and then I'll be free for the weekend, _hethought happily_._ He was pulled out of his musings as the food off his plate cleared along with the main course. Then the desserts piled up onto the table magically.

Pumpkin cake with glossy cherries, profiteroles stacked up high, apple crumble, cakes and servings of ice cream spread out along the Ravenclaw table and were replicated along the other three house tables.

"Oh, good, there's chocolate cake!" Tino exclaimed. "Could you pass me a slice please." He called up to Mei who sat halfway up the table, opposite a large chocolate cake with sprinkles on top.

As he stood up to collect the plate she handed over, he noticed the group of second years she sat next to. There was Arthur Kirkland and Roderich Edelstein discussing their Potions work, and Lien beside them who was engrossed in a leather bound book ignoring the others around her. Opposite the pair of boys was a familiar face, blond hair and blue eyes staring back at Tino as he fumbled to grasp hold of the edge of the plate. Berwald's gaze unnerving him once again he almost dropped the plate.

"Hello Berwald." Tino said, correcting his grip on the plate so that it wouldn't fall and embarrass him.

"Tino." Berwald greeted him back with a nod.

"Thanks." Tino froze at the staring once again and then remembered he was stood up like an idiot and people were starting to look at him. Nodding at Mei he then returned to his seat with a red face as he realised Berwald was still staring at him.

oOo

"Now everyone, make sure you've all got your gloves on, and get stuck in." Professor Sprout instructed.

Tino reached for the pot, while his new friend Matthew Williams hefted the large bag of soil onto the table. The smell was earthy and a nice change from the usual dusty classrooms that smelt of old stone and books. The pair worked to fill in the pot with dirt and then paused when the bustling Professor handed over a small handful of daisy seeds to taller boy.

"I never knew these were magical." Matthew stared down at them in his hand and smiled slightly. "I was reading through my potions book yesterday and there's loads of normal plants that are used in magical potions. It's that amazing!"

"I know what you mean." Tino replied as he poured more soil into the pot. He too had been surprised by all the uses normal, everyday plants could have in complex potions. "It's funny how it works, isn't it?"

"It was a big shock, to be honest, finding out that I've got magic, but I think it's a good thing. There's so much to learn too."

"You're in Hufflepuff, right?" Tino asked. He didn't know the quiet boy very well yet and it was nice to meet a new face and get to know them. He already liked Matthew; he seemed a really nice guy once you got over how quietly he spoke.

"Yeah. And you're in Ravenclaw?" Matthew asked back, looking at the blue trim and the badge pinned to his lapel.

"Yep."

"So, people were talking yesterday about the four houses, and they were saying that all Ravenclaws are clever." Matthew recalled the conversation at lunchtime where the second years were explaining to the first about how the Houses operated.

"It works like that...I think." Tino began unsure. "Shall plant the seeds?" He tacked on and Matthew nodded, stretching out his hand so the two of them could push the little grey seeds into the damp soil.

"What do you mean 'you think'?" Matthew asked curiously over the plant pot.

"Well, being clever isn't the only thing that defines Ravenclaws, because not all Ravenclaws are clever. But we like working hard and learning a lot."

"I thought that's what Hufflepuffs do?" Matthew seemed confused and paused with his fingers in the soil.

Tino had been told Hufflepuff was the house of the hardworking, the badger emblem showing that they were resilient and working together, seventh and first years alike. He liked the sound of it, a house that sticks together and all that. He could see where the confusion came in though, there were a lot of overlaps between the houses.

"Yeah, but do you think all Slytherins are scheming and all Gryffindor are brave?" Tino asked.

He was hoping that his explanation was making sense. His mother had explained it to him a lot better, just as he was leaving to get on the train and worry had filled him up like an overflowing teacup. He had been nervous about which house he was going to be sorted into, and she had told him not to worry because wherever he ended up, he'd still be Tino.

Matthew frowned and then shook his head slowly, "Not always, I guess. I've got a half brother, Alfred Jones. He's in Gryffindor. He's brave most of the time, but he's scared of horror films. He freaked out when he found that there were ghosts here."

Tino chuckled along with Matthew, he was glad to hear he wasn't the only one wary of the ghosts.

"Do you get me then?" He asked hopefully.

"I think so." Matthew nodded and then pushed the last seed into the pot. "More soil now, right?"

Tino smiled and reached for the half empty bag. The two continued to chat, talking about their families and where they had lived before they got the letter that changed their lives.

"I really liked Diagon Alley," Matthew remembered. "We had to buy all my things in London, because it would have been too difficult to ship them over, what with customs and security scans. I found a really cool toy in one of the shops. But I think what's really cool is that wizards have moving pictures for photographs-"

A loud, grating laugh caused him to stall and stare in the direction of the noise. He wasn't the only one, most of the class turned to follow the sound to a trio of students who were walking past Greenhouse 1. Even though only a few of the windows were open to keep out the colder, autumn air, it was easy to hear the laughter as though the person were inside with them.

"Honestly," Professor Sprout tutted in annoyance, shaking her head. "They're might not be in class, but you lot are. I want to see all the seeds potted by the end of the lesson."

The whole class ignored her instructions, too distracted by the trio, two of whom were sporting bright red scarves. The third of the group trailed behind a few steps. As they passed a part of the greenhouse which was not covered in dense foliage, the curious class craned their necks for a view of the phantom laugher.

"I know the Gryffindors, they're Mathias and Lukas." Matthew said morosely. "They mistook me for being Alfred once. They jumped me in the corridor and it took me and this painting of a knight on a fat pony to convince them I wasn't Al."

Tino decided not to ask him to qualify that one.

"Oh, and I think that's Berwald." Tino said, as he squinted at the tallest figure that was obscured by thick trails of creeping vines, his blue and bronze scarf visible through the foliage. As the sole Ravenclaw of the trio walked past the plants and behind the transparent glass Tino stared and to his surprise Berwald was staring right back at him. The younger Ravenclaw squeaked a little in shock and then quickly put on a smile, waving at Berwald. Or rather his hand twitched upwards in a semblance of a wave.

"You know him?" Matthew asked. "He looks..._tall_." There was a lot of meaning behind the word: imposing, scary, intimidating. Tall was merely an umbrella term for Berwald.

"He seemed, alright..." Tino tried to protest as he watched Berwald and his friends trek along the grass, past the entire building of Greenhouse one. While the entire class was distracted by the two Gryffindors, Tino watched Berwald, whose gaze never wavered away. It was very off-putting. "He passed me a book I couldn't reach."

And now he was staring at him again. Tino had to fight the urge to duck under the table and hide amongst the flowerpots and tremble in fear.

"He's staring at you." Matthew pointed out helpfully.

"I know that." Tino decided to get the watering can, which was conveniently located beneath the table, and just far enough under that people wouldn't trip over. He ducked under and reached hold of it, then slowly stood up.

"Are you friends?" Matthew asked confused, as the trio were almost out of sight. Berwald was still staring.

"I don't know. Maybe...he does want to be friends?" Tino hazarded a guess, but then shook his head. "Doesn't matter now. He probably just recognised me from before."

"Shall I go fill up the watering can?" Matthew offered and Tino handed it over, thankful he would not have to use the tap and trip over his shaking legs in the process.

Matthew grinned at the other boy who looked a bit confused and said, "And I guess, even if you aren't, _some_ Ravenclaws are scary."

Tino laughed nervously in response before he moved their conversation onto other, safer, topics.

OOo

_He _was on the opposite side of the common room. Tino had noticed that when he walked in, book bag slung over his shoulder and arms full of parchment. He contemplated walking straight out again but he couldn't have walked away. Not with a room full of his house mates and an empty table just waiting for him, along with a stack of homework he had put off to play wizard chess. (And while he had won, it hadn't had any effect on the homework he had waiting for him sprawled across his bed.)

With a resigned sigh, Tino made his way across the room and plopped down on the chair, laying out his work so that it took up the whole desk. And he tried his best not to look across the room at _him, _who had a book in his hands and was most certainly not reading it. Tino didn't dare look up but he knew he was because he had the same feeling of being watched which he had since the first time they met. He briefly wondered why Berwald kept on staring. Was it because he was shy? Was it because he didn't like him and he was thinking of which hex to use? It was just constant staring. Blue eyes which were intently looking at him accompanied by the constant feeling of being scrutinised or examined. It was freaking him out.

_He does look scary...maybe that's why I haven't seen him talking to anyone else. Matthew found him scary too._

The thought about Berwald not having many friends struck him again, and he wondered whether it'd be a good thing to ask Berwald if that was the reason for the staring. Tino shook his head minutely, pulling out his homework diary and flipping through the pages.

_Don't be silly. You don't have time to be silly. Too much time spent playing wizard's chess and not enough time on your homework that's due in two days time. And you most definitely do not have time to be asking staring fellow house mates what their problem is. Especially scary ones._

"Hello there." Came a sudden voice in front of him. Tino had been so focused on his work he had not noticed Arthur Kirkland come to stand in front of him with a polite smile on his face. The second year boy had bushy eyebrows and a tendency to be found arguing with another blonde second year from Slytherin. It had become a source of extreme gossip, especially when the Slytherin in question had been seen with burnt robes and Arthur with burnt eyebrows.

"May I sit here to do my homework?" Arthur enquired as he gestured to the free chair opposite. Tino was almost glad of the intrusion.

"Yes." Tino nodded quickly, dragging his papers and books forwards to make some room for the other boy. With a smile of thanks, Arthur sat down in front of him, blocking off Berwald's line of sight, and the unwavering gaze.

oOo

The whistle screeched and the teams flew up into the air. It was the first Ravenclaw match of the year, and today they faced the Gryffindors. The rows full of red scarves and banners were the loudest, and there was a particularly rowdy group of third years in the next stand to the one Tino stood in. They screamed at the top of their lungs every time a Gryffindor chaser caught hold of the quaffle. He hoped they wouldn't do it for the whole game, because the point of play was to catch the red ball and the Gryffindor chasers were very good. Tino kept getting shoved around by them and Kiku who stood beside him looked disgruntled at the boisterous contact.

"Would you like to have a look?" Kiku asked politely, passing over his golden omnioculars during a quieter part of the game.

"Really?" Tino accepted them with a thank you and watched through them as the two seekers whizzed across the pitch, a blur of red and blue racing each other and then braking to a halt when the snitch disappeared. "Where did you get them from?"

"I went with my family to the Quidditch World Cup. You need a pair if you want to see anything and everyone buys a pair because that way you can rewind what you saw."

Tino was impressed; he had read about the event in the Daily Prophet but was disappointed to hear that England was knocked out in the first round. He would have liked to watch the games, he wasn't interested overly in Quidditch but watching your own team play is a different matter. "Was it good?"

"Yes. The French team played well, very well." Kiku replied.

"They've got those white brooms." Tino remembered the newspaper pictures of the team flashing past, smiles and holding the Cup aloft with triumphant smiles. "The _Frivoles_."

"It was a good final match to watch." The shorter Ravenclaw bobbed his head in appreciation.

"I can imagine." Tino replied as Arthur sent a bludger at the Gryffindor boy who was reaching for the quaffle. Tino passed back the omnioculars to Kiku, "Here, you have a turn again."

"Thank you, Tino." Kiku took them back.

They watched as the Ravenclaw chasers were put through their paces. They worked by tossing the shiny red ball back and forth between the three of them before one of the girls veered forwards, caught it neatly and tossed it through the highest empty hoop.

The two friends swapped the omnioculars between each other, taking it in turns to watch the action through the clearer lenses. Ravenclaw had led in the first ten minutes, scoring three times without any injuries; but the next fifteen minutes were bad, resulting in Gryffindor catching up with some fancy flying and a rather bold dive which their youngest chaser had performed. He had only just managed to pull up in time, one hand wrapped around the quaffle and the other gripping his broom handle tightly. The entire pitch had watched in horror, half expecting him to have to be scraped off the sandy ground.

"Your turn." Kiku passed the omnioculars back again after two Ravenclaw goals and Tino took them, looking up at the far end of the pitch and zooming in to see the Ravenclaw Seeker adjusting his gloves with a bored expression, but his watchful eyes searched around.

"I think this game may go on longer than we expected." Kiku commented, wrapping his scarf tighter around his neck. While it wasn't winter just yet, it was still too cold to be standing around for long periods of time, and they'd rather prefer the warmth of the Ravenclaw common room with its roaring fire much more. Tino had lost the feeling in his toes a few moments ago and he could feel his hands going next.

"Maybe...not?" Tino replied as he spotted a flash of gold swirl around the Ravenclaw Seeker's broom handle before dipping and bobbing through the air.

The Seeker immediately forgot about fiddling with his gloves and grasped onto his broom handle, following the flight of the golden snitch.

"Interesting." Kiku said with a grin before jamming his hands into his pockets to keep them warm. The Gryffindor Seeker was quick to join the case, tailing the Ravenclaw Seeker but not able to catch up.

They watched as the Seekers swooped down, and then lurched up as the snitch flittered through the air haphazardly. They sped along the edge of the pitch, twirled around one of the stands, and then streaked towards the standing area the majority of the Ravenclaws were in. The golden snitch continued to fly forwards, heading for the crowd in the stands and for a moment Tino wondered if they would crash.

But it wasn't the case as the snitch veered left sharply and streaked off, skimming along the heads of the audience. Tino let out a sigh of relief and then adjusted the omnioculars again, zooming in to watch them fly over towards a stand which had a concentrated cluster of deep scarlet on the left hand side. Tino's eyes followed the action as they swept over the heads of the crowd again, and he paused when he saw some familiar faces.

Matthew was standing with his brother, who looked more like a twin than a half brother, and both were cheering as the Gryffindor Seeker pulled ahead. Alfred had a long woollen red scarf draped over the both of them. Behind him stood an equally raucous duo, one Tino was more familiar with. Lukas and Matthias cheered noisily, waving their bewitched banner high. Next to them, and more restrained and stoic, was Berwald, a blue scarf in the midst of red.

Tino stared through the omnioculars.

And Berwald stared back.

Tino blinked, and then flicked his finger so that the omnioculars zoomed in further the section of the crowd, centring on the intimidating looking Ravenclaw.

Berwald was still staring with his focussed blue eyes. Tino couldn't seem to break the gaze he was holding through the magic glass and the couple hundred feet of quidditch pitch.

Tino gulped.

"Errr." He squeaked and then coughed.

_Stop being silly Tino. But what if Matthew was right, wh__at if there are scary Ravenclaws? Oh, calm down, he's across the pitch, nowhere near you...And he's staring!_

While he argued with himself, he realised that Berwald wasn't use omnioculars, and could somehow still spot him across the pitch with just his glasses. The thought was unnerving.

_It's probably because he recognises you. _Tino blinked again, and then focussed his attention. He stared down the lenses at Berwald, noting the other boy wasn't paying much attention to the match.

_He could be staring into space, and it just so happens to be this area of space? Besides, we're practically in the stand opposite. He's still with those Gryffindors. They don't seem too scary...but Matthew was a bit jumpy before when he said that they'd confused him for being his brother._

A sudden roar washed through the groups of blue wearing students as the Seeker performed a twirl and then plucked the snitch out of the sky to hold it up for everyone to see. Applause and shouts began, breaking the tense silence of before and Tino was jolted forwards by someone who jumped on his left.

His gawping was broken and he lowered the omnioculars, handing them back to Kiku with shaking hands.

"Good game, huh?" He said, a smile flittered onto his face, but his eyes were too wide with shock.

"Yes." Kiku nodded with a small smile, watching their house mates beginning their celebrations.

Tino hazarded a glance across the stands, searching out the spot of blue betwixt the red and found that the posture of the sole Ravenclaw boy was still the same. He was facing Tino's stand and not celebrating. If Tino squinted, he could even make out the glint of his glasses reflecting the sunlight.

"Ah!" Tino moaned.

"Are you alright?" Kiku asked concerned, and Tino returned his sight to the foreground, looking back at his friend who had noted that he was panicked for some odd reason.

"Hah, yes, I'm fine." Tino began to babble. It was a habit he had when he was unsettled. "How about we go back to the common room? It's so much warmer then, and I think I have some reading to do. Have you done the reading for potions yet? Professor Slughorn's quite an interesting teacher, but he must be very old. And that essay! For History of Magic, I need to finish it off! It was supposed to be eleven inches long, wasn't it?"

Kiku paused for a moment, taking some much needed time in processing his friend's garbled speech. "Yes."

Tino looked around at his fellow students who were pouring onto the pitch. "Let's go."

They hurried off back to the Ravenclaw common room, and Tino occasionally looked over his shoulder at the empty corridors and imagining a blank face and bright blue eyes staring intensely at him, only causing him to walk faster.

oOo

Tino had received the invitation from a dusty brown owl that swooped low and landed near his orange juice at breakfast. After untying the strange letter with an obviously curious expression on his face, he let the owl peck a bite out of his toast and watched it flap away before opening it.

It took him a moment to scan it and then he frowned at the words written inside.

"Slug Club Christmas Dinner?" Tino read aloud, wondering what it was about. He hadn't ordered anything weird again by accident had he?

Arthur chuckled from across the table as he sipped his tea daintily. "You got one too then?"

Tino looked up at him bemused. Had he been mail ordering weird things too? Or was it a chain mail?

Arthur nodded at the letter before putting down his cup.

"I got mine yesterday," he continued sitting up even more straighter than he had been before. Arthur held himself with the regal dignity of a king and seemed to enjoy nothing more than imparting his wisdom on everyone in the house, whether they liked it or not. Curiosity was the only thing that stopped Tino from cutting him short. "Although I can't say I wasn't a little surprised, Slughorn's knows I'm pretty rubbish at Potions but he must have spoken to Professor Beilschmidt at some point to find out about my Transfiguration work. That, and the fact that my father works for the Minster of Magic."

"I don't understand." Tino looked down at the neatly scripted invitation. "What's a Slug Club?"

"_The_ Slug Club." Arthur corrected. "As in _Slug_-horn."

Tino's eyes widened. The blustering professor of Potions had his own club? Since when? And to what purpose? More importantly why had he got an invite?

"You'll find out once you walk in. Student's who seem to have a talent in a class, or who are just talented in general are invited." Arthur said, leaning back as an owl skidded to a halt in front of him with a newspaper and a small bundle of letters attached. It flapped its brown wings and knocked over the rack of toast.

"Oh." Tino said, pulling a face as he righted it. "I don't think I'm any of those."

"Must be." Arthur replied, opening up his copy of the Daily Prophet. "I'm surprised it's taken him this long to wheedle Professor McGonagall into letting him continue. Favouritism of students and all."

Arthur flipped the front cover over and began to read, his eyebrows visible over the page. "And especially students who have influential or important family and contacts. He's been doing this for years." The older boy pulled a face of irritation and then sighed resignedly.

"Is it bad?" Tino asked worriedly. He hoped he wouldn't have to perform his so called 'talents', whatever they were.

"Not awfully." Arthur replied truthfully, sharing a knowing glance over the paper with him. "It just means we have to spend an evening getting along with other students he sent invitations to."

He looked past Tino towards the Slytherin table and a blond boy with hair that he thought desperately needed to be cut and a cloak that was far to impractical for a student to wear. The Slytherin simply waved a familiar invitation back at Arthur with a brilliant white smile, mouthing something at him. Arthur looked as if he had to suck a lemon. "I swear, I will wring that flouncy idiot's neck if he speaks to me."

"What?!" Tino yelp alarmed at the glare on Arthur's face.

"No, not you. Bloody Bonnefoy." He shook his head. "Never mind, it's only a few hours anyway, you can't complain about the food and besides, you can always use the excuse that you need to study the next time you get invited to a meeting." Arthur relaxed his long sighted glare, sighed and returned to reading his paper.

Tino was left straightening his clothes two weeks later. He nodded to himself in the mirror and then walked down to the common room where Kiku and Ludwig said that they'd wait for each other to leave together. Arthur stood waiting too.

"I figured I may as well walk down with you three." He said in answer to Tino's questioning gaze. None of them looked excited to go and it was with some reluctance they left the warmth of the Ravenclaw tower for the cool castle

"Maybe we can leave early?" Tino mused aloud as they walked down towards the sixth floor office.

"Not bloody likely in my case. No doubt I'll spend the whole evening fending off that twat." Arthur snorted, but didn't bother to elaborate on the matter. Tino had a feeling who he meant and Ludwig and Kiku's shared glance confirmed his suspicions on a certain French transfer student.

They walked into Slughorn's office. The room had been decorated for the Christmas themed event; tinsel and large green and gold baubles were strung up, and tiny luminous fairies hovered high up by the ceilings and between the folds of light gold drapes that covered the walls making the room seem as though it was like a gigantic marquee.

Feliciano called Ludwig over loudly and immediately, while Arthur was accosted by the Slytherin boy he had wished to avoid along with a rather undignified yelp as he was pulled towards a group of other second years.

"Um, I guess we'll-" He turned to Kiku who was being called over by another Slytherin, a slightly taller boy with long black hair.

"Oh, I said I'd speak to Yao." Kiku told him apologetically, looking back to the boy who was a few years older but not much taller with dark hair tied back. Tino didn't know him very well and he could hardly invite himself over to chat.

"That's fine, go ahead. I'll go find a drink or food...or something." Tino waved him off and walked away to the table which was covered in drinks and a hovering bottle which filled up glasses that lined up when people approached. He picked up a glass of cold pumpkin juice and looked around for a familiar face. He thought he had spotted Matthew, but then realised from the sound of the boy's voice and the lion badge he was wearing on his chest that it was actually his brother, Alfred.

However, luckily for him, Slughorn had broken away from a group of laughing fifth year Gryffindors and turned to address the room.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, dinner's is about to be served, to take your seats!"

Tino hurried to find Kiku and sat down at the long table, with Yao sitting next to Kiku on his right. Both were in deep discussion about the summer examinations which was a little premature a conversation for Tino and he turned away from it. Arthur sat across from Tino, and pulled a face when Francis Bonnefoy seated himself down next to him, nudging his shoulder with a smirk plastered across his face.

"Ah, Arthur Kirkland, my little hairy friend; we meet again." said the Slytherin boy as he adjusted his cutlery, smirking over his fork.

"Bog off." Arthur hissed under his breath, forcing a tight smile onto his face as Slughorn passed behind Tino to get to his own chair at the head of the table. "I thought I lost you at the snack table, when your toady eyes had been caught on those frog legs. I'm upset you didn't choke on them."

"Ah!" The portly professor paused, resting his hands on top of Tino's chair. "Mr Väinämöinen, it's a pleasure to see you here! I've been keeping an eye on your potions work, and I think you definitely have a keen eye. Especially with that Forgetfulness Potion."

"Er, thank you sir." Tino replied with a small smile. He must have taken some of the potion himself, because he had no idea what the teacher was on about but he nodded anyway.

"Good, good." Slughorn nodded and then glanced over the table where the two boys were prodding each other's arms with their wands, burning small holes that neither seemed to care about. "Boys, come now, that isn't for the dinner table, is it?"

"Sorry Professor." Arthur answered meekly, placing his wand back inside his robes.

"And how is your father, Mr Kirkland?" Slughorn enquired with a large smile.

"He's well, working with the minister in the run up to the new legislation being introduced." Arthur replied with a small and polite smile. His tone was falsely cheerful and pleasant and made Tino blink in confusion.

Slughorn turned to the other boy. "Wonderful, and your charming mother, Mr Bonnefoy?"

"She is well too." Francis replied in the same tone as Arthur. _Both of them?_ Tino thought, confused, but then he remembered the talk Arthur had given him at that breakfast a few weeks ago. Best to keep up appearances.

"Excellent!" Slughorn said enthusiastically. "Enjoy the meal boys; it really is marvellous to see everyone together." And with that he bustled off to his own seat.

"Everyone he _thinks_ is important." Arthur muttered under his breath.

"Ridiculous." Francis agreed with a huff of irritation.

Suddenly both boys turned to look at each other with incredulity as they had both agreed with the other.

"This seat taken?" Tino heard a voice from behind him, and his eyes widened in horror as he turned.

"No." Arthur said with a terse smile. "Go ahead Berwald. Although, why anyone would want to sit opposite this frog is beyond me." He jibed at Francis.

"And it is beyond me why you, Arthur, are sitting beside me." Francis jibed back.

Tino laughed, but he wasn't sure whether it was because of his housemate's distress or his own.

"You sat next to me!" Arthur retorted, and the two second years resumed their bickering, and all became right again.

"Hello." Berwald said politely to Tino as he sat down beside him.

"H-h-hello." He replied shakily, turning his head slowly to give a little nod. Luckily Kiku decided to interrupt, as Yao introduced himself and Tino was swept up in a conversation to the right of him so he didn't have to think about who was sitting on his left.

The dinner passed slowly. The first course was served, then the main, which mainly involved Arthur and Francis kicking each other under the table to see who would miss getting their food into their mouths. He, Kiku and Yao struck up a long conversation and Tino learned that Yao was a second year student who liked Charms and was best at Potions. He was also quite friendly, for a Slytherin, which helped to balance out the impression he was getting from Francis' behaviour. He had to avoid looking at the other side of the table for the whole meal and he could feel his neck twinging in annoyance.

After what seemed like an eternity, dessert was brought out. Chocolate cake, a raspberry gateau, éclairs and ice cream appeared along the table in sections. The raspberry gateau was placed onto their section of the table, and immediately people began to divvy up the desserts, some reaching over for ice cream, others calling for the éclairs to be passed down. Tino eyed the chocolate cake which sat a little further to his left, just out of reach.

"Um, excuse me." He called, his voice a little too quiet for a dozing Hufflepuff boy with long, curling brown hair to hear.

"Excuse me. Could you pass me some of the chocolate cake?" He tried again, watching the slices being picked up and leaving fewer and fewer on the glass stand. But he was too late. All the chocolate cake had gone, and Tino sat back in his chair in a slouch sighing.

"Would you like some of the gateau instead?" Kiku offered, reaching over to get a plate.

"Sure," Tino replied. "Thank you." He added as his friend handed him the desert.

Tino looked over to the empty cake stand a little wistfully, and then felt a heavy hand clamp down on his left shoulder. He froze immediately.

But apparently it was all for nothing. A cool kiss of porcelain touched his hand.

"Here." Berwald said, as he pushed over his own dessert; a slice of the chocolate cake, it rested against the back of Tino's hand. The sauce and the cream oozed from its velvety surface temptingly but Tino looked on shocked and wary.

"What?" Tino squeaked, and then cleared his throat.

"You like the cake, right?" Berwald said, staring at Tino's stunned expression. He was always staring though so it didn't make too much difference.

The first year wasn't sure whether it was a question or a statement, so he just replied with a, "Yes. Um, t-thank you," as he looked down at his plate.

"You're welcome."

"Oh!" Tino said, passing over the slice of raspberry gateau. "Do you want this one? It's not chocolate cake, but it is still a cake. Actually it's a gateau, but it's almost like a cake then, isn't it?"

"I suppose so." Berwald glanced down at his new dessert and blinked before returning his attention back to Tino.

Tino felt bad. He had not spoken to Berwald for the whole evening, too frightened to look in his staring direction but now he saw he had been rude and mean. He was a nice guy it seemed. Tino strove to carry on the conversation, chattering on about his subjects, asking questions to which Berwald replied with a simple "_Yes"_ or _"No"_. By the end of the night, the Ravenclaws walked back to the Tower in a large group. Tino and Berwald trailed behind, and as they reached the open doorway which Kiku held open, Berwald paused to let Tino pass through the doorway first.

Everyone shuffled off up the staircases to their own rooms mumbling _goodnight's_ and _see you tomorrow's_ under their breath so as not to wake up the rest of their house. Tino paused where the staircases forked because first years' rooms were on the lower levels of the tower, and he waved to Berwald who had stopped beside him. Over the course of the rest of the evening they had chatted and Tino considered him a friend now, much like the other Ravenclaws he had met since the start of the year.

"It was nice to speak to you, again, well more than before anyway. See you tomorrow." Tino told Berwald with a tired smile.

Berwald stared back for a moment before hesitantly smiling back, or rather his lips quirked up ever so slightly.

"Night, Tino." And with that he continued up the steps as Tino slipped into the room he shared with the other first years.

As Tino made his way to his bed, one last coherent thought passed through his mind: _I suppose Berwald isn__'t so scary after all._

* * *

_Review please! _:)


	4. The Tale of Mr Kumajiro

A/N: Sorry for the long delay between updates, excuse= life consists of coursework and reading. This second year counts apparently!

Canada: Matthew Williams- First Year Hufflepuff  
America: Alfred Jones- First Year Gryffindor  
South Italy: Lovino Vargas- First Year Hufflepuff  
Spain: Antonio Carriedo – Second Year Hufflepuff  
France: Francis Bonnefoy- Second Year Slytherin  
Prussia: Gilbert Beilschmidt – Second Year Slytherin

* * *

The Tale of Mr Kumajiro

To say that Matthew Williams was excited to visit Diagon Alley was an understatement of the greatest proportions.

He, along with his half brother Alfred Jones, were more excited than ever in their grand total of eleven years apiece, or so they declared to anyone who would listen. They and their parents had flown over to England on an air plane, which had stunned Matthew because he had never flown before and the sounds of the jets and the whir of the motor had been invigorating. After touching down at Heathrow, they had taken the Tube into London and found themselves inside the Leaky Cauldron with the friendly landlady, Mrs Longbottom showing them to their rooms.

Naturally, the two boys dumped their luggage in the pleasantly decorated room and then charged straight back out again, eager to explore. Even with the time difference they were still raring to go, pulling on an extra jumper under their coats to keep them warm as the air turned brisk while the sun was going down. The deep blue of twilight was starting to creep over the edges of window ledge, and outside the city was coming to light in golds and yellows. Alfred pulled their wallets out from their hand luggage as Matthew hurried to tie his shoes, taking the money offered to him and putting it in his pockets ready to spend it in the heart of Wizard London.

"Now, Alfred, don't wander off. Matthew, you stick close to him, and don't go down to Knockturn Alley. Your father said that it wasn't somewhere young boys should visit." Alfred's mother fretted as they hurried out of the back door of the inn and into a small paved courtyard. She was a small, blonde woman with Alfred's piercing blue eyes. Matthew's own mother was unable to afford the plane fair and had entrusted the other woman with her son's safety, and she seemed to be taking her job seriously. "And don't spend all your wizard money today, because you'll need it for snacks on the train."

She finished off her instructions and watched as the two eleven year olds nod back quickly, wave and then speed off towards the end of the courtyard. They stopped in front of a large brick wall, and then hurried back inside.

"Mom. There's a wall!" Alfred declared, looking confused. Their father laughed and detached himself from his conversation with the lady, sweeping back his hair from his tired eyes. He and Alfred's mother had chosen to wait in the inn for them, too weary from the journey. Matthew didn't understand how they could be anything but wide awake!

Their father walked back out with them, tapping his wand on a small brick just above the dustbin. The bricks clicked and clacked as they pulled back, folding up onto each other to create a gap which widened, revealing a blur of bright lights. "Magic entrance, boys, keeps the Muggles unaware."

"Wow!" Matthew's eyes grew large and Alfred gave a little squeal of excitement as the last bricks pulled away revealing Diagon Alley.

"There you go, and remember to stick together. Oh, and make sure you visit Florean Fortescue's ice cream parlour. He was a good man, and I heard his nephew took it over. Best ice cream ever," he whispered surreptitiously. "We'll get your wands tomorrow, and your uniforms, so you don't have to worry about them now, but make sure you're back for dinner."

"Sure!" Alfred replied and Matthew grinned.

They both ran through the opening and turned around to watch it close up behind them in amazement. The alley was filled with people wearing strange clothes, thick black cloaks worn by little goblin men, and a woman swept past wearing a large purple cloak with frills and a matching hat trimmed with black ribbon. Matthew was sure he saw a man wander past them with a live owl swaying on his shoulder as he walked. The shop windows were full of brightly, coloured advertisements that were animated, and shiny, new goods that had spotlights thrown on them to attract window shoppers. There were two goblins standing guard stoically outside Gringotts, such as the tradition dictated. House Elves trailed after their masters and mistresses, using their magic to make bags of shopping float along in front of them.

Alfred stared with his mouth open at the entire view and then remembered how to speak.

"So, where do you want to go first?" He half whispered.

"Everywhere!" Matthew replied, unable to decide, slightly overcome by all the sights available to him. Every way he turned there was something new to look at and he couldn't move fast enough to see it all.

"Yeah! Oh! Look at that!" Alfred reached over to drag his brother by the forearm towards the thick, white marble steps of Gringotts. "So, this is the bank. Think I'd be able to put some of my money in there?"

"You don't have any money, Alfred. Not enough anyway." Matthew frowned. "And when you do get money you spend it on sweets and on your Quidditch magazines."

Alfred shook his head dismissively, staring up at the warning engraved above the entrance. "Well...that doesn't matter. Look over there!"

He pointed across the street and tugged his brother along again, both weaving through the crowds full of witches and wizards and goblins and other magical beings. "Whoa...those look awesome!"

Alfred then pressed his hands up against the glass as if he was hoping the barrier could melt away and the distance between him and the three-set of brand new Cleansweepers would disappear. The brooms shone under a magical spotlight that dimmed and brightened alternatively. Even Matthew could appreciate the gleaming varnished wood and the fact that every twig had been neatly tied into place.

"I _really_ want one!" Alfred whined, jumping up and down a little on the spot. Matthew was surprised that he wasn't drooling.

"On the letter it says that first years aren't allowed brooms though. And, you don't know how to fly." Matthew reminded him, although silently he agreed with his brother.

He would've liked to have a broom too, or even one to share between the both of them so that they could learn to fly before going to Hogwarts. He would look so cool and people would surely like him better if he could do something awesome like fly without lessons. Coming from a half-wizarding background they knew all about the magical world, and while their dad had told them all about Quidditch and had even taken them to the American Quidditch Cup, they hadn't been able to play the game for themselves. Alfred always raved about the speed of the Chasers and how being a Beater must be fun, but Matthew had always considered that being a Seeker was a lot more interesting.

Alfred sighed wistfully.

"Guess I'll just have to get awesome and then get on the quidditch team. Yeah, that way I'll be able to have a broom!" He told himself reassuringly, eyes finally breaking the contact with the broomsticks.

Matthew hummed along in agreement, turning around to look for another store to look at, his eyes catching one instantly. "Come on, let's go look in there."

He pointed to the next interesting shop in the street, _Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. _It had a curved window front and was sandwiched in between all the other shops. It made them look pale and boring in comparison, especially with its bright orange store front and the small multicoloured fireworks cart wheeling across the open front door.

"What's that?" Alfred asked, instantly interested.

Matthew began to explain: "I read an advert in dad's newspaper last week. They sell all kinds of things. It's a bit like a magical shop and a joke shop in one. They've even got Muggle cards and those old black and white magic wands-"

Without even letting Matthew finish, Alfred grabbed his half-brother's arm and they both ran through the thinning crowds and into the shop.

"A magic joke shop!" He exclaimed excitedly. Both brothers stood in the doorway and stared at the interior in awe. Alfred laughed loudly. "_This_ is the best place _ever!_ I wonder what kinds of things they sell?"

It was clear that Alfred had already forgotten about the broom. It was not surprising, the room was easily one of the most brilliant he had ever seen. Everything seemed to be moving, or glittering, or just plain causing havoc. A full deck of loose cards flew over their head at the same time a gaggle of what seemed to be mini, black foghorns with stick-thin limbs ran in front of them, followed by a haggard looking shop assistant dressed in an orange uniform.

"They've got shield hats, oh, I wanna try one out but we haven't got our wands yet. We'll have to come back tomorrow or something. These look so cool!" The louder boy wandered behind a stack of disposable magic top hats on a wooden table, complete with retractable pigeons and cream pies. Matthew tried to follow but it was difficult. The store was a lot more crowded than the other ones, even at such a late hour. There was a whiz and a bang as a firework set of above them, harmlessly raining down brightly coloured sparks over their head.

"Right, that's probably a good thing though...seeing as we have the Trace on us..." Matthew replied, walking around the pile of hats and realised that his brother had disappeared into the magical bowels of the shop. He sighed aloud. "Oh, great."

He decided to stick around the same area of the shop, and in view of the entrance so when Alfred eventually wandered back he'd be able to catch him. But Alfred disappearing wouldn't stop Matthew from exploring around one of the most popular shops in the street. He took a look over the edge of a large, nearby container and saw a pile of pastel coloured fluff balls which all squeaked and squealed when he tentatively picked up the largest pink one. It blinked at him and then shuffled in circles in his palm. It was warm and soft like a cotton wool ball. A young, purple haired girl brushed past him and squealed herself before calling her mum over. Matthew watched in surprise as her hair changed colour to become the same shade of pastel pink to match the little creatures.

"They're called pygmy puffs; mummy says she's going to get me one for my birthday." She told Matthew with a gap toothed grin, looking up at him with bright, fearless eyes. "And I'm five today!"

"Happy birthday." He replied with a small, shy smile. "Your hair changed colour?"

He stared as her hair got brighter and brighter, heading towards a more sunshine yellow shade now.

"I can do that. My auntie can too. Are you getting one?" She asked him, more interested in staring at the large purple ball of fluff in his hands.

"No, I'm...looking for my brother, have a nice day though." Matthew told her as her mum walked over through the crowds of people browsing and piling things into the shopping baskets the helpers handed out.

He replaced the pygmy puff carefully back among its friends, then tried to retrace his steps around the other shoppers and came across an adjoining room with a banner hanging over the doorway declaring _The Smallest Zoo Ever!_ He stood beside the doorframe and poked his head in and when he heard a lion's roar, loud and fear inducing, he jumped back in alarm. After a long moment of worry, waiting for an attack, he hesitantly walked through into the unpopulated room and took a look.

"Brilliant!" He breathed out.

Matthew stared at the menagerie of miniature animals around him. As he stepped towards the centre of the room, the amalgamation of animal cries grew louder. _There must have been a silencing charm on the door,_ he deduced.

There was a white snow leopard prowling around on the top most wooden shelves, and a tiger playing with a dozing lion's flicking tail a few shelves lower down. On the ground, small versions of other mammals completed the zoo. There were bears surrounded by a small moat sunk into the floor. Penguins were splashing around in the water on a table in the centre of the room, taking in turns to dive in. There were dolphins in another pool, as well as a group of monkeys in the furthest corner of the room swinging on tree branches which jutted out from the wall, eating fruit messily. On the opposite side of the room and in amongst a mini forest on another long table there were dragons. Matthew could see a scaly tail poking out from a large bush, and a pair of grey leathery wings flapping from behind the treetops. The entire room was full of miniature animals, and all of them were around the same size of a cat.

"Not bad, huh?" A voice asked suddenly making him jump. A tall, ginger haired man was looking down at Matthew with a smirk on his lips at the view of him standing with his mouth hanging open in awe.

He was wearing a uniform, including a bright red waistcoat and held a group of small boxes tucked under his arm. The shop worker walked over to the main display in the centre of the room where the penguins paused to regard him before returning to their diving and splashing. Then he deposited the boxes into the storage area underneath and the doors to the cupboard swung shut seamlessly with a flick of his wand.

"No, they're really, really good! Amazing! Are they...pets?" Matthew turned around and when the other man stood, he noticed that he was wearing a badge that stated 'Mr Weasley'. "You're the shop owner?"

"Yep. This shop is mine; I'm one half of the founding duo." He reached down to shake Matthew's hand. "George Weasley."

"Matthew Williams."

"Nice to meet you, Matthew. So..." He gestured around to the penguins and bears, "This is actually just the start. I mean, we've got monkeys, tigers and lions. A couple of chameleons...somewhere, but that's not all." He looked down at the eleven year old and whispered conspiratorially. "What would you say to dinosaurs?"

"Dinosaurs? Where?" Matthew looked around the room excitedly, wondering if they were on a table or a shelf. His eyes scanned everywhere but he could only see normal animals. No signs of scaly creatures which roamed the planet millions of years ago.

George looked a little embarrassed. "Er, they're not here just yet. We...had a bit of a problem with the Diplodocus. Their bodies would shrink, but their tails would stay the same size. But it's getting along nicely. They'll be in stock before Christmas for sure, and there will be lots of surprised little children on the 25th when they find those beauties under their tree."

Matthew felt a little disappointed. Dinosaurs were definitely cooler than a broom, especially a live one.

George clapped his hands and the animals turned towards the sound. "Now then, see anything you like?"

"I don't know. They all look really...real." Matthew crouched down to see a small, fluffy, white polar bear sniffing at his left trainer.

"Ah, now that one," George pointed at the bear which had now proceeded to chew on Matthew's laces slowly, making them really soggy. "That's cheaper than the rest."

"Why?" Matthew asked a little suspicious and a little sad. It didn't seem bed in anyway, why was it not as special as the rest? The polar bear was the size of a house cat and covered in fluffy white fur. Matthew slowly put his hand out to let it sniff it. The polar bear nudged him with its damp black nose and George grinned slyly.

The ginger haired shop owner bent down to pick it up and then plonked it in Matthew's arms before explaining. It was heavier than expected and made his body sag before he could take the weight, it was very realistic.

"No reason, it's just a little sticky moving most days. There's a glitch we couldn't fix, my previous assistant dropped it when we were working on it. It's two galleons and I'll throw in a pair of fake wands for an extra sickle. The animating charm wears off after six months. But it's not too much of a problem to learn it. It's just that the wand movement's a little flouncy so most people don't bother."

George's grin grew wider as he saw the polar bear clutching onto the bottom of the boy's sleeves, head-butting him softly as it gnawed softly on his hand.

"That's a lot cheaper than I thought it would be." Matthew mused as he shifted it higher in his arms to get a better grip. He stroked the soft white fur and the bear squirmed a little, pushing its nose into his chest.

"And it doesn't need to eat?" The eleven year old asked, looking up.

"Nope. Best point of our range. And that one doesn't even make much of a mess. It's a bear. Those monkeys on the other hand," George pointed up towards the group which were causing a racket in their treetop perch. "They love to smear display fruit all over the walls. It's a good thing that paint's self cleaning."

He glared at the animals who hooted back in amusement, recognising the man's ginger hair.

Matthew chewed his lip for a moment, "I would but-"

"You've got a funny accent. From America?" George interrupted.

"Canada." Matthew corrected without a moment's pause.

He and Alfred were pretty much identical, both had blond hair, though Matthew's was longer, the same cheekbones under round cheeks and the same shaped eyes. He was used to retelling the short summary of how his brother had been born in America and proud of it, but that Matthew was just as proud to be Canadian. They had rolled their eyes every time their father retold it for family friends or long distance relatives who came to visit for Christmas or Thanksgiving, commenting on the bedroom shared by the two boys divided down country-themed lines. While Matthew had spent the first few years of his life with his mother in Canada, Alfred had done the same in America. It was only when they were five that his father and Alfred's mother had met, during the summer holidays. The boys had quickly become friends, and then brothers as the pair of previously divorced parents found themselves with a new partner.

George tapped his finger in the air. "But you're here in London, and Hogwarts starts in a couple of days...You know, these animals don't technically count as pets because they're only animated toys. You could always take the bear with you."

He pulled out his wand and waved it through the air.

"So, two galleons and a sickle?" He asked as a pair of dummy wands floated over towards him. They were followed by a paper carrier bag which did a lazy loop-de-loop in the air.

Matthew looked down at the polar bear, which was looking back up at him and sniffed curiously before rubbing its face over his coat sleeve. He really did like it and he knew he didn't want to leave the shop without it. He wondered faintly what his father would say to the new addition but he was sure Alfred was going to leave the famous joke shop with his arms full of things he probably shouldn't have.

"Alright. I'll buy it!" Matthew decided.

"Brilliant!" With another swish of his wand, George sent the wands into the bag. "Pleasure doing business with you Matthew-from-Canada." He winked and then held his palm out.

Matthew handed the money over, shifting the polar bear in his arms to get out his wallet from his pocket.

"Thanks, Mr Weasley."

"No problem." George took the money, tapping the coins with the tip of his wand so that they sped off above the heads of the other shoppers towards the till. Suddenly in one swift movement he turned on his heel and craned his neck to see around a pile of Spot-Away potions before shouting out, "Hey, kid! You break that, you pay for it."

"I'm just looking!" Alfred's voice called back sheepishly. Matthew could see his raised hands over the pile of hair dyeing drinks. He disappeared from sight when he stooped to pick up a medium sized bag and then shuffled into view. "I'm not doing anything! I swear!"

George scoffed, "Yeah, and I was Umbridge's best student. Though I notice you've got the shield hat though, good taste young man." He pointed at Alfred's filled bag and his grin reappeared.

"You got all that?" Matthew sighed, thinking about what his mum would say. Probably a lot of scolding.

"Yeah, it's my birthday money. Besides we're going to be at Hogwarts for a _whole _year!" His brother defended himself. "Gotta stock up on the good stuff."

George sniffed and wiped an invisible tear from the corner of his eye. "You honour me young man and for that I'll give you a couple of tips. One, remember to stop by the remnants of the Portable Swamp on your way to Defence Against the Dark Arts. Two, the house elves are always happy to hand over extra sweets as long as you ask nicely, and finally, I've always found singing the school song to a funeral dirge quite interesting. It might be slow but much more fun. Good luck boys, thanks for business!"

George saluted them and then wandered off through the reducing crowds to help a young boy who was trying to persuade his mother to buy the largest, brightest, pink pygmy puff in the box.

Matthew hefted the polar bear higher in his arms once more. Then he shoved the paper bag with the wands into his coat pocket.

"Bye Mr Weasley," he called out.

Alfred walked over to him after George was gone and only glanced down for a split second at the polar bear who had raised its paw to reach over and swipe at his jacket sleeve.

"I found tons of magical things, and they sell loads of great stuff here-" He trailed off as he took note of the toy in his brother's arms properly. There was a long pause and exactly two blinks before he spoke again.

"Is that a polar bear?"

"Yeah. I just bought it." Matthew smiled widely. The polar bear was now burying his head into the crease of his elbow.

"Oh, cool." Alfred cooed approvingly and then proceeded to drag his brother in typical Alfred style, out of the wizard joke shop with a belated enquiry of: "Shall we look at the wand shop now, before we go tomorrow?"

_oOo_

Matthew was sat hunched over the large low table between the overstuffed brown sofas in the Hufflepuff common room trying to figure out his Transfiguration homework. The room was empty save for a few fourth year girls who were sitting in the corner by the fireplace and flipping through a magazine and giggling every so often and a sixth year scribbling notes onto a four foot long roll of parchment. The other first years had gone off to play a very loud and explosive game of Wizard Snap in the front courtyard, so loud they had thoughtfully decided to leave the room. It was warm with the fire and the sweet smell of cooking was wafting in from the open vents in the wall. Frankly, it was making him hungry but he ignored the growls of his stomach in favour of doing his work.

He muttered under his breath and repeatedly tapped a small thimble on the table before him, hoping that it would change into a black button, but he had only managed to turn the metal to shiny grey plastic. It was a slow process, and he hadn't improved much since the lesson but he had re-read through his notes and was trying his best. He wondered what it was he was doing wrong, perhaps the pronunciation of the incantation...?

"Hey, Matthew." A second year, Antonio Carriedo, called out cheerfully as he stepped up through the entrance passageway. He was smiling as always and he was carrying a battered cardboard box carefully in his hands, his bag slung over his shoulder. Behind Antonio crawled out one of his friends, another second year who had shoulder length blond hair and bright blue eyes. He was a Slytherin, but Matthew knew better than to say anything about that, after all if he was Antonio's friend then there was no problem. Antonio was a nice guy. The shifting of barrels sounded behind him as they were automatically moved back into place after the entrance was closed.

"Oh, and this is Francis."

Antonio introduced his friend with a lazy wave at the new boy; he was dressed a lot more neatly than the other boy, his tie sitting correctly and his robes uncreased. Matthew faintly remembered that there were usually three of these boys going around in their little trio causing havoc. All of the students had heard off the self acclaimed Bad Touch Trio, all those with sense enough to stay out of the firing line of their pranks anyway. The close shaves they had experienced with the teachers in their first year had been well publicised through whispers and rumours. It might have been surprising to hear that Antonio was one third of the party, however when the three were together it was clear to see they were best friends. But as to where the other boy was right now, Matthew didn't know.

"Hello, I'm Matthew." He smiled shyly back at both of them and returned to the grey thimble with his wand, hoping that a spark of magic would transform it into what it needed to be. Instead it gave off a faint smell of burning; he sighed.

He glanced up from the table conspicuously, watching the Slytherin walk across the room after Antonio. He didn't seem so bad but Matthew had heard the stories about Slytherins and how they were supposed to be cunning and sly. He hadn't really talked to any other Slytherins in his own year so far, although there was Natalia Arlovskaya who sat in the far corner of the Herbology Greenhouse and glared at anyone who was in a two seat radius. He wasn't sure he was brave enough to speak to her just yet even though he wanted to be friends with everyone.

The two second years commandeered a table by the bookshelves on the other side of the room near the staircase and proceeded to empty the contents of their bags onto it while chatting to each other and complaining about homework, teachers and the fact the holidays were weeks and weeks away. The box of Antonio's lay on the desk, it was fastened tightly but it seemed to be shaking a little as Matthew watched. He decided he did not want to know what was in there; if it was anything to do with the trio, it would not be good.

"Where's Gilbert?" Francis asked aloud and Antonio shrugged his shoulders silently in reply.

"Who knows?" Antonio said good naturedly, cheerfully tipping the whole contents of his bag onto the table top, not even reacting when half of his belongings rolled out of reach. "It's a shame, this was his idea. I thought we were meant to be doing homework together and then planning _stuff_."

Matthew couldn't help but roll his eyes at the other boy's tone. Being tight lipped was not Antonio's strong point.

"Why am I not surprised?" Francis shook his head in despair and attempted to do his work. They settled down shortly after and were relatively quiet as they worked; only murmuring under their breaths about things Matthew was obviously not meant to hear. The sound of quills scratching on parchment and the ruffle of pages being turned faded into the background and Matthew continued to try and transfigure the thimble.

_I'll carry on with this later, _Matthew told himself after a fruitless ten minutes where the thimble stubbornly refused to change its appearance in any way. He pocketed the plastic thimble; which may have turned a little more spherical, but that was him being hopeful. He stood and wandered over to the bookshelves to look for a book to read. He needed some good fiction to chill out with.

Francis and Antonio were still talking conspiratorially together, their work had been abandoned some after they had pulled it out from their bags, the last words written on their parchments were long dried. Matthew had been so caught up in his own work he hadn't even noticed the other boys' lack of concentration. The other people that had been in the room had left too, leaving only Matthew and the two other boys.

"Hey Matthew, did you hear Gilbert waiting outside before we came in?" Antonio asked suddenly, realising the boy was still in the room and watching them. He blushed a little but thought about the answer.

"The...white haired boy from Slytherin?" Matthew turned around and asked back. "No. I haven't seen him."

"Are you sure?" Francis queried, flipping his hair slightly to look at him with critical eyes.

Matthew thought for a little longer and then nodded decisively. "Yeah, I didn't hear him shouting. Last time he woke up half the house when he was knocking on the door in the middle of the night."

"Good point," Antonio noted with a grin in Francis's direction. "If he was here, we'd be having to bail him out of trouble. Or someone would have seen him, you can't miss Gil."

Francis tutted. "It means he's either got held back by his Grandfather, or he's in detention. I doubt he's forgotten because this was all his idea."

The two second years continued their discussion and Matthew stared at them for a moment before realising he wasn't involved in it anymore. So he turned back to the rows of books and perused the different covers. In the end he chose _Tales of __Badnir the Brave in the Fifteenth Century. _It wasn't a fiction book but the title seemed interesting enough. He settled back down on the sofa and swung his feet up sideways, leaning against the armrest. The common room was a perfect place to read during the day if people didn't want to trek it all the way to the library. Most Hufflepuffs were considerate and went to their rooms to hang out with friends, leaving the common room as a quiet congregating place with a warm fire and a homey atmosphere.

Antonio stood up suddenly and stretched, picking up the box with one hand. He handled it delicately.

"I'm going to put this _secret_ box of _secrets_ into my room." Antonio winked poorly, making his face spasm pitifully in an attempt to 'secretive' with all his 'secrets'. Matthew almost chuckled at the disgusted expression on Francis's face.

"_Mon ami_, please just leave." The other boy said shaking his head and waving the other boy away, Antonio grinned and bounded off. Francis returned to his work and Matthew to his book.

Matthew was dozing off when he heard Francis chuckle loudly. He opened his eyes a little blearily and removed the book which was wedged under his neck and over his robes.

"What is it?" The confused first year asked, and briefly wondered if he had been snoring. That would have been embarrassing.

He saw that they were the only ones in the common room; Antonio still had not returned leaving his work splayed across his side of the table. Francis looked over and smirked at Matthew who leaned over the arm of the sofa and rubbed his eyes.

"What kind of an animal is that?" Francis used his quill to point towards the little polar bear plodding down the stairs, reaching for every step below with a waving paw before dropping down to the carpet with a muted thud.

"Ah." Matthew rolled over to a sitting position to take a look at the stairs behind the sofa. He winced in pity. "Oh, that's just Mr Kuma- Kuma- Kumakiji?"

"Is it yours?" Francis chucked in mirth and pushed away his quill and inkpot. "Shouldn't you remember its name?"

"Yeah. It's mine." Matthew replied a little sheepishly. "I didn't name it though. Kiku did, when we were on the train. Only, I can never really remember what it was."

They both watched as the bear slowly made its way towards the sofa where Matthew sat. Each step seemed to be slower than the last and the progress it made was almost pitiful. Its stumpy, fluffy legs wavered and wobbled as it crossed the floor.

"Why not ask?" Francis stifled his laugh at the crawling bear when he realised he might be seen as rude. However he only managed to smother a snort when the bear stumbled forwards again.

"I don't know. It's a bit...embarrassing to say I've forgotten." Matthew bent down to pick up the toy and placed it on his lap where its outstretched paws flailed a little. It then decided the best course of action was to slump down onto its belly and lie there, occasionally rocking its paws back and forth robotically.

Francis swung his legs out from under the table and leaned forwards curiously. "What's it doing?"

"I'm not sure. It's gotten really slow over the past week. I think the animating spell's wearing off. I bought it from the Weasley shop in Diagon Alley when we first flew over. The shopkeeper said it would wear off in six weeks, and I've been here for that long."

"Ah, it is...cute?" Francis hazarded a guess. "A good idea for a toy." He offered up, trying again. He seemed to be struggling with words to describe the odd thing on Matthew's lap, but he was used to that by now. Most people were impressed with his animated toy, some not so much. He had once come back to his room to find the bear covered in paint that took a good bath to get rid of. He never had found out who had done it, but it hadn't happened again so he didn't mind too much.

"I know. Mr Weasley had an entire miniature zoo in the room. He said he was getting dinosaurs too." He divulged, looking down at his bear who was sniffing at the book he had been reading.

"But you'd rather have the polar bear than the dinosaurs?" Francis wondered.

Matthew shrugged. "It came up to me. I...just liked it." And there were no dinosaurs in stock but he didn't want to say that. He had become quite attached to the fluffy creature, even though it wasn't really real and it often drooled into his shoes.

"A bit like a wand then?" Francis straightened up and mimicked the motto of the most famous wand maker known to England. "_The wand chooses the wizard._"

Matthew laughed and nodded his head as he had heard the same words from the wand maker's nephew. Then he remembered the empty chair opposite the Slytherin boy.

"Where's Antonio got to?"

"No doubt he's been sidetracked into talking to that Vargas boy on the way to his room. Mr Grumpy headed up to his room as soon as he walked into the common room, scowling as usual. They probably met on the stairs. I wait for the day the wind changes direction and he's stuck with it, which is a shame because he's so very pretty without it." Francis declared loudly. Matthew wondered if the words would carry up the stairs.

They sat in silence for a moment, watching as the white polar bear on Matthew lap fidgeted slower and slower until it stopped moving altogether. It was a sad sight.

Matthew sighed at the sight. "Guess it's just a normal toy now. You know, polar bear's fur is actually transparent. I went to the zoo once and it was on the information board." He brushed off a few strands of loose fur from his fingers and then patted the still bear on its back.

"Will you throw it out?" Francis asked, turning around in his chair to face the first year.

"No!" Matthew said, horrified. "I liked it. I'm keeping it!"

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that." Francis quickly apologised. He seemed sincere enough and Matthew forgave him instantly: he wasn't a Hufflepuff for nothing.

Matthew smiled. "It's okay."

"I learnt the animating spell a few weeks ago in Charms." Francis offered after a moment as he picked up his wand from under the piles of paper on the desk. He waved it through the air, making a swishing sound as a small stream of light sparks jumped out. "I could try it?"

"Did it work in class?" Matthew asked curiously, brushing the white fur of the toy with his finger. He was a little weary of a stranger casting spells on his toy; it was only a teddy but he really did like it. He didn't want anything to happen to it.

"I am a Bonnefoy!" Francis exclaimed looking offended.

"Oh. Right." Matthew did not see what difference this made. He looked down at the polar bear and made his decision. "Yes, you can try. Please."

He felt a little hopeful as Francis got up from his chair and flopped down onto the sofa next to him. The older boy brandished his wand with a flourish and cleared his throat. Then he ran his wand over the toy bear with a swish and a twirl. A few blue and gold sparks discharged from the top and spiralled down into the white fur. They dissipated quickly, and Francis lowered his wand, tucking it into the folds of his robe.

"Is is working?" asked Matthew, leaning over. It did not look like anything had happened; the bear was still lifeless on his lap.

"It takes a moment," Francis explained patiently. "Gilbert tried it with a teapot in class. It shuffled over the side of the desk before it landed on the floor. Vash managed to kick his bag forwards so it _bounced_ onto it instead of shattering."

Matthew yelped as the polar bear sniffed and snorted, suddenly very full of life.

"Kumajiro's moving again!" he said enthusiastically as he smiled widely. He petted the animal on his head and was immediately met with a swift chew of his hand, slobber running onto his hands.

Francis laughed at the sight of the squirming bear. "You should probably give it a name that's easier to remember."

"I think Kumataro's growing on me. You like it, don't you?" Matthew asked the bear.

The bear shuffled sideways on the younger boy's lap and then got to its feet. He sniffed Francis' robe and then padded over his legs, leaving behind white hairs over his black robe. The polar bear then climbed over the side of the armrest before dropping down to the floor. Kumajiro's paws skittered over the wooden floor and he bounded up the stairs towards Matthew's room a lot quicker than he had trundled down earlier.

"You can call it whatever you want." Francis replied, brushing the fur strands off his robes with a little look of distaste.

There was the sound of footsteps and Antonio walked down the stairs, moving out the way as the white blur raced up past him. He reached the common room, then turned around to the stairs and pointed confused. "Matthew, was that your toy bear?"

"Yes, Francis fixed it for me! An animation spell." He explained happily.

"Oh, I remember that lesson," Antonio shook his head sadly and the memory. "Francis? You did it? Really? And I thought Gilbert's was the one who did the best out of the entire class!"

Matthew's expression turned to one of shock as he regarded the Slytherin. "But, I thought you said you knew how to-"

"I said that I was a Bonnefoy." Francis grinned back and shrugged back at the younger Hufflepuff. He added in a sly wink and pointed to his chest. "You forget I'm a Slytherin. Besides, it worked better than I thought it would. I'm impressed."

Matthew wasn't. If he had been anyone else he would have complained but instead he kept his mouth shut. Francis didn't notice and turned to look at Antonio.

"Did Lovino tell you to leave? Or did he throw something at you again?"

"His _History of Magic_ book. It was heavy." Antonio said smiling cheerfully as if it was one of the best things that had happened to him that day. He rummaged for his quill and ink pot in the mess on the desk. "He should smile a bit more, always scowling. Francis, can we finish this before dinner? Gilbert doesn't seem to be turning up for our plans."

He prodded the parchment rolls and then frowned at the thought of homework.

"Yes, of course." Francis got up and walked back over to the table, sifting through his own half-started essays and other pieces of homework.

A loud, angry yelp travelled down the stairs.

"Oi! Williams! Is that your _bear_?" Lovino Vargas shouted down the stairs. His voice was gruff as usual and Matthew could almost see the way his cheeks would be reddening. "Get it _out_ from under my _bed_! I swear, if it chews _anything_, I will chuck it out the window!"

Matthew froze for a moment before grinning sheepishly. "I'd better go get Kumataro before Lovino explodes."

"Would you like us to call up when we're going for food?" Francis offered. Matthew froze in his act of gathering himself up, feeling a blush rise on his face. He was surprised that anyone would want to eat with him, especially these pretty cool second years. He was nobody, or Matthew Williams the not-quite twin brother of Alfred.

It felt nice to be noticed for a change.

He nodded, trying not to look overly eager but he could not help the large smile that burst onto his face. "Yeah, that'd be good. I'll let Lovino know too."

"Williams! It's chewing my stuff!" The angry first year yelled again. There was a hint of panic in his tone that made his voice rise a pitch. "I'm going to open this window- OW! Fuck, it bit me!"

"I'm coming! Don't throw him out!" Matthew shouted. He gave a little wave to the two sitting at the table and darted up the stairs. "And thanks again Francis!" He called over his shoulder, disappearing around the curve of the staircase.

"Making friends?" Antonio looked up from his parchment with a grin at the sounds of the shouting echoing from upstairs. The angry voice of Lovino mixed in with Matthew's calmer tones and a lot of banging as if the roof was going to come down on top of them.

"I think these new first years will be just as interesting as we were." Francis simply replied and both second years settled back in their chairs to complete their essays and wait for Gilbert to arrive so they could cause some good old mischief.


End file.
